Evanescence
by NKfloofiepoof
Summary: [On indefinite hold] Formerly titled Electrical Communication. An alternate universe darkfic with HEAVY fantasy elements and flags for shounen ai. Continued with the second part of the trilogy: Die Verbotene Insel.
1. Electrical Communication: Opening Theme

_Electrical Communication_ Opening Theme_  
"To the Light"_ by Amika Hattan  
http://www.protoman.com/crystalpalace/tothelight.mp3

  
[ With the opening music, Hesparia fades into view. With the first beat, it changes into a symbol of the sun. With the next beat, it changes into a pulsating red sphere of light. With the next, it changes to a symbol of a crescent moon, light shining across it. The camera spins around in a 180-degree circle, showing a humanoid figure dressed in all white lying on a metal floor before fading to a view of Hesparia's landscape, wind whispering through tall grass as the camera slowly pans upwards to view the mountains, the sun shining brightly as it rises into the air. ]

Channeru sugu ni kaechau mitai ni ne  
Me no mai no riaru kara nigeteta

[ The sunlight spills over the camera and the words _"Electrical Communication"_ are slowly spelled out from the light. ]

Jiyuu no imi mo kitto mada shirazu ni  
Mienai ruuru ga shibaru yo

[ The light slowly shines across each letter like sunlight would a sparkling lake, gleaming gold as the background fades to black, leaving only the words for a brief second. ]

Tashika--

[ The camera pans left across a row of bars, peering past them to a figure curled up inside a medieval-looking prison cell. ]

--meta--

[ A brief close-up shot of the person in the cell; lavender hair, gold eyes, violet face stripes. ]

--kute

[ The camera pans upwards, sunlight spilling into view as it gazes up at a large mountain. ]

watashi dake ni

[ Several brief shots: Rock and Forte walking through a forest, the camera panning in a circle to view the canopy. ]

dekiru ashita o

[ A long shot of Centaur Man in bipedal form standing in the forest, camera panning to the left as the wind plays with his soft blue scarf followed by a glimpse of a gold pendant swinging slowly in a lazy arc. ]

Tachi tomarenai kara

[ Wind whispers through the grass as the camera pans upwards slowly, now in a field, four figures against the horizon slowly walking towards a city in the distance. ]

kakureta taiyou yobi okoshite

[ Several brief shots: the camera panning into a close-up of a window as rain falls, lightning streaking across the sky, Rock and Forte looking up to a star-filled sky as the camera pans upwards to capture the moons. ]

Go to

[ A wall of ice shatters ]

the light

[ The shackles of the prisoner break apart ]

Dare yori mo atsui

[ Forte extends Solandri and ignites her scythe and trident blades ]

jounetsu o mune ni sakasetai

[ Translucent images appear on a watery background; Quick Man and Ring Man look up past the camera, Forte turns to glare past the camera, and Rock slowly appears, wind playing with his hair as he stares at something unseen, eyes shining with inner torment. ]

Tooi yume sae mo

[ Centaur Man gently runs his hand along his staff, Tsurai, soft blue light bathing him ]

terashidasu

[ The camera shows a close up of Elec Man as he looks up, half of his face off screen to the right, bright golden light shining behind him ]

doko ni ite mo

[ Rock and Forte watch a large flock of dragonettes form a tornado of scaley bodies and leathery wings against the night sky ]

Go to the light

[ Lightning streaks across a cloud-covered sky, wind blowing through trees fiercely ]

Kuyashisa mo zenbu

[ Lightning crackles and sparks around Rakurai as Elec Man holds it out in front of him, cape flapping behind him ]

kizameru tsuyosa o daite

[ Flames rage around Quick Man as he stands with his arms above his head, concentrating intensely on a spell ]

ikutsu no yo ake mo koeteku

[ Rock and Forte stand at ready as Blues faces off against them, smoke billowing around him and out from under his visor -- from his eyes ]

"Watashi" to iu arika mitsukeru tame

[ Enker, Pharaoh Man, and Magnet Man combine their powers, standing in a triangle; Magnet Man glowing blue, Pharaoh Man glowing red, and Enker shining gold ]

[ A harpsichord overtakes the music as the camera slowly pans upwards, revealing a large mural of the Four Gods of Hesparia. Anubis kneels in the foreground, holding a gross attempt at carving a microchip, Isis stands at his right, holding a hurricane before her while Sekhmet stands to Anubis' left, a songbird resting on her hand. Horus stands behind them, wings spread and arm held upwards to the sky, light drawn shining forth above his hand. ]

[ The beat shows a brief glimpse of a flower before showing a picture of Rock, Forte, Elec Man, Metal Man, Quick Man, Ring Man, and Centaur Man standing in a meadow with their backs to the camera and looking toward the mountains in the distance, wind playing with their capes and scarves for a brief moment before the music fades and the picture fades to black ]


	2. EC 1: Run All the Way

_Chapter One  
__Run All the Way_

Thunder rumbled through the heavens as dark clouds rolled across the sky. Everything seemed to be painted grey or a rather dull version of any original colors. The dull colors and clouds promised rain, but it was debatable as to whether they would deliver. The trees and shrubs needed the rain, but it was likely that they would be denied again.

Rock attempted to keep his expression stoic, unchanging, hiding the inner torment he felt as Blues watched him from behind his trademark visor. The two faced off in the forest clearing, staring each other down. The wind toyed with Blues' scarf, still its striking yellow even amongst the dullness of the surrounding area. Rock shivered, clutching his wounded shoulder, one eye squeezed shut from pain. Blues was unscratched, staring at his enemy, his expression blank. That expression had not changed in nearly three years, not that Rock could recall.

"Blues...please...wake up..." Rock pleaded, shivering and casting his gaze to the dry ground, knowing his pleas always fell on deaf ears. Dr. Wily had done a good job in gaining control of Blues. A very good job. Blues heard nothing, said nothing, felt nothing - nothing but what Dr. Wily wanted him to. He did not acknowledge anyone's words but Dr. Wily's, never said anything but what Dr. Wily wished him to, did not flinch when he was attacked, did not react to victory in battle. Rock shivered. His brother was dead, and only an empty shell remained. He had been under the mad scientist's control for nearly three years and had not felt, heard, nor said one thing which Dr. Wily did not approve of during that time. The reminder made Rock's heart clench.

Rock had one day hoped to destroy Dr. Wily's hold on his brother, to free Blues from the prison made in his own mind, but he could never bring himself to attack. Blues always gained the upper hand because Rock refused to fight back, refused to harm his brother.

"Please..." Rock whispered, knowing he was just wasting his breath. Blues raised his arm cannon and aimed. Rock braced himself for the split second before he was sent crashing into one of the trees behind him, yelling in agony and coughing. Three loud buzzes echoed over the rumble of thunder, signalling Rock's energy was at a very dangerous level. He squeezed his eyes shut and silently longed for everything to be the way it was before three years past - for Dr. Light to be there for him, for Roll to be alive.

For Blues to be back to normal.

Blues retook his aim, expression still blank.

"I won't fight you..." Rock whispered, not bothering to stand up as blood began to seep out of his wounds. Lightning streaked across the sky, reflecting off Blues' visor. "What...what do I have to do...to get you back...?" Rock all but whimpered.

It was Dr. Wily who heard him and made Blues reply, "...die." Rock felt as if he had been shot even though he knew it was not Blues' reply. It was his voice but not _him_. Blues began charging his cannon, and Rock squeezed his eyes shut and waited for the attack which would end his torment.

It never came. The shot was fired, but it did not connect. Rock heard a brief struggle before he dared to open his eyes just in time to see Blues melt back into the shadows, retreating as smoke billowed from a torn, burnt wound marring his left arm. A neon green glow pierced the dull surroundings as Rock's savior watched the shadows Blues had disappeared into, one hand on placed on his hip. He was clad in black slacks and a deep violet, nearly black tunic. His hair was lavender, and his skin was pale, nearly white. A violet stripe trailed under both of his eyes, down his cheeks, connecting below his jaw.

In his hand was his "dual-purpose" weapon, a mechanical, metal rod, one end placed gingerly onto the ground while the other end glowed brightly with its neon green, electric fire, shaped to form a three-pronged "blade" like that of a trident. The other end, when ignited, formed a scythe blade, also made of the neon green, crackling blaze. The rod was at least half a foot taller than its handler. Only a select few of the more powerful Mages could create and wield such a weapon.

"Forte..." Rock whispered, almost unbelieving.

Forte turned to face the blue robot, gold eyes shining from the glow of his beam-trident. All Rock could do was stare. He had not seen Forte in four years. He knew Forte had left Dr. Wily's forces, had run away like a teenager would run away from home, but he had not known what became of the younger robot. Rock was not entirely sure if Forte was really standing before him or if his eyes were merely playing tricks on him.

"You were just going to sit there and _let_ him kill you," Forte muttered.

"Th-Thank you..." Rock stammered, staring up at the taller robot, wide-eyed, but not from fear - from amazement. Forte was alive. Rock had presumed him dead, guessing Dr. Wily had been angered by Forte's desertion and had him killed.

Forte slipped his hand under Rock's uninjured arm and heaved him up to his feet. Rock cringed in pain but did not say anything, thankful for the help.

Forte's indirect mutiny against Dr. Wily had signified a silent truce between the two. Forte still held a grudge for all of his losses against Rock, but the hatred was all but gone as Forte now had one of the main things he had envied of the blue robot - freedom. Freedom to make his own choices, to be able to think for himself and do things he wanted to do without Dr. Wily screaming at him for it. That, above anything, had been why he had hated Rock - his freedom. Rock had always been free, and Dr. Light had let him do anything he wanted. Forte had never even dared to ask Dr. Wily if he could do something for himself. It almost always resulted in a verbal or physical beating; however, now he was free and had no grounds on which to hate the blue robot.

Rock leaned heavily against the tree he had crashed into, looking down at the ground as he whispered to the air, "...would Wily let him go if...if I surrendered?"

"Doubt it," Forte muttered in response, deactivating his beam-trident and pressing a button on the metal rod so it "shrunk" to a length of two feet rather than its fully-extended six then tucked it into his belt as an Assassin - a "gunslinger" as some called the Mage class - would holster his pistol and crossed his arms. Rock was not sure why Forte made the weapon - surely, he still had his arm cannons which were identical to Rock's, and they were much more efficient than the rod weapon. "Blues is his strongest warrior - he's not about to give that up," Forte continued.

"...but," Rock protested futilly, "...but isn't he out to kill me? If...if he didn't need Blues to kill me, then..." He trailed off, shivering.

Forte shook his head. "He still needs his robots to help him take over the world."

Rock shivered, hugging himself with his still-moving arm as he muttered, "I...could do that...if he let go of Blues..."

"Blues wouldn't want you to do that."

Rock's expression turned pained as he looked away. "He's been under Wily's control so long...I've got to help him _some_how..."

"I doubt there's anything you can do," Forte responded, shaking his head. He knew it was a harsh thing to say, but truth always hurt. "I don't even know how he's controlling him. Probably through Magery. And if he can gain control of a Shadow Warrior through Magery, I hate to think of what he could do to a robot _without_ magic." He cast a side glance to Rock, his meaning plain and simple. Rock was what humans called a "null" - completely magicless. It was rare, nearly unheard of - even the most untalented of humans and robots alike could could use magic to an extent but only very, very basic spells such as lighting lanterns across a room. Rock, however, had no power at all. Forte was better, much better than Rock though even he was very weak compared to many Mages, especially his "brothers" among Dr. Wily's ranks of Robot Masters, but Rock had still defeated him countless times. The victories had been won by skill and expertise, not by firepower.

Rock whispered, still hugging himself with the one arm which was not stiff and throbbing, "I could take servitude...if my family-"

"I can tell you right now that no matter what you did or promised, Wily wouldn't let Blues go," Forte interrupted. He looked straight at him. "Not willingly."

A tremor coursed through Rock as he responded, doing his best to keep from whimpering, "Then...there's no hope?"

"You'd have to figure out how Wily's controlling him and stop it from the source," Forte answered, silently ending the subject as he turned his back to the blue clad robot, arms still crossed. Several long moments of silence passed between them before Forte finally asked, keeping away, "So, where are you going now?" Rock looked down at his metal boots for a moment before looking back up, expression pleading and slightly hopeful.

"...where ever you go?"

Forte blinked, looking back at him. "Why do you want to come with me?"

Rock grinned weakly as he answered, "...it's...not like I have anywhere else to go." Forte half-glared at him for a brief moment before shaking his head and starting into the bushes, Rock limping slowly after him.

* * *

The log cabin was practically brand new, probably less than five years old, and it was obvious Forte had been hiding himself away in it for his four-year-long disappearance as the younger robot opened the door and walked inside, Rock limping after him.

Wooden furniture was clearly handmade by a less than experienced carpenter, short, miniature cots acting as wobbly, barely balanced chairs with a larger one in the center of the room padded with small cushions. The fireplace was glowing from recent embers, and a makeshift kitchen was just to the left of the den, sporting a basin, a cast iron wood stove, and a wooden box in one corner - probably an enchanted coldbox which were not uncommon in this part of the continent. A small hallway lead to the single bedroom, the only true room in the cabin save for the den, and a sod roof kept rain at bay. The log cabin was very small, yet it had a comfortable feeling about it. It made Rock homesick.

"This place looks new. Why would anyone abandon it?" Rock muttered, expressing his belief that it had been abandonned and Forte had moved in.

Forte contradicted him as he closed the door and barricaded it with a plank, "It wasn't abandonned. I built it." Rock blinked, glancing back at him before looking around the cabin again.

"You _built_ it?" Rock repeated, clearly impressed. "How?"

Forte shrugged and crossed his arms, leaning against the door. "I got tired of getting wet when it rained, so I borrowed the tools from a farmer down the trail and stayed in his barn until I was finished. Took care of his animals sometimes to repay him."

"Wily never came after you?" Rock found himself asking. "Never tried to get you back...or kill you?"

"Oh, he tried, alright," Forte grumbled. "Destroyed the cabin once or twice while I was working on it." Rock blinked.

"Surely you could have fought them off," he muttered, staring at the downcast robot.

"...could have...but I didn't," Forte responded. "The second time they destroyed the cabin, I made it look like I had died in it. I don't think they know otherwise. I wouldn't put it past Wily to know that I'm still alive, but he hasn't done anything since." Rock blinked.

"Why didn't you fight?" This time he received no response. Several long moments passed in silence before Forte finally spoke again.

"I guess make yourself comfortable," he said, rolling his neck stiffly along his shoulders. Rock hesitated timidly before he limped over to one of the cot chairs, being careful to sit in a way where blood would not stain the material. Forte stepped to the "kitchen" for a brief moment before returning with a few pink and yellow apples, the rinds cold enough to confirm Rock's first assumption of the crate in the corner. Rock accepted the apples and ate eagerly. Pure energy would have been better for his wounds, but all robots were made in a way that food could be used as a less efficient alternative if only for working energy and not repairs. The smaller wounds could be left to heal on their own while some of the larger ones would need a little bandaging to keep the exposed circuitry and artificial muscle from being further damaged.

Upon eating the apples down to the cores, Rock let out a small sigh of a mixture of relief and contentment before stating meekly, "Thank you. I don't want to be a bother..."

Forte shook his head, sitting on the sofa as he answered, "Nah. We're not on hostile terms anymore, so it's okay." He hesitated a brief moment before speaking again, "You've been living in the woods this whole time, right?" The visible cringe Rock gave was confirmation of Forte's assumption. Forte knew the laboratory had been destroyed during the attack three years past.

The attack on the laboratory had come out of nowhere - Dr. Light was away with Tango to the nearest town, Fuu, to gather supplies, and Roll and Rock were in charge of watching over the laboratory. Roll, Rightot, and Beat had been killed right in front of Rock, Rush injured only to die in Rock's arms three days later. Rock was never able to determine whether Dr. Light or Tango had escaped or if they returned to the ruined laboratory and were captured or killed as well. Just a few days after the attack, Blues had been captured by Dr. Wily and put under his control. Dr. Cossack and Kalinka were more or less safe in their Northern citadel, having taken their surviving robots - Ring, Skull, Dive, and Bright - with them just a year earlier. The events had taken place shortly after Forte had deserted Dr. Wily's ranks and supposedly been killed.

Rock shivered, daring to speak again, "I...don't want to be alone anymore..."

Forte nodded, understanding. He, too, had suffered a loss even though it was minor compared to Rock's. Gospel had died fighting off the "search party" which had destroyed the one-third finished cabin the first time Dr. Wily's forces had attacked him, and his grave had been placed in the back near his bone pit.

"Sorry..." Rock apologized, nervously turning the apple cores over in his hands, staring at his still-armored feet.

Forte shook his head. "Nah, it's alright. I know what it's like to be alone." Silence reigned for several long moments. "So...other than nearly getting yourself killed, what have you been up to?"

"Searching..." Rock answered as Forte took the cores from him and left to throw them away, "I think Dr. Light's alive, but..." Once again, silence won.

"Can I ask you something?" Forte finally asked. Rock looked up at him as Forte sank back onto the larger cot. "Why do you keep fighting when it's just you? Don't you feel...overpowered?"

"All the time..." Rock answered, "But I want to save Blues...I want my family back." He let out a deep, shuddering sigh. "Sometimes I just feel like crying. I just..." He let out a long, shuddering sigh. "I don't feel as brave or as strong as I used to..."

"You're letting your feelings about Blues get in your way," Forte stated patiently, "You need to treat him like he's always been one of Wily's. If I hadn't been in the area, you would have let him kill you." Rock did not comment. He knew he was stupid for just standing there, but he could not bring himself to fight his own brother regardless of Blues' mental state. What hurt most though was knowing Dr. Wily was gleefully using that to his advantage and enjoyed every moment of it.

"I still don't understand why you keep fighting when you're so outnumbered," Forte spoke again, bringing Rock's attention back to him.

"I did it because I was protecting my family at first...but now there's no one left to protect...all I have left is hope. Hope that I can save Blues." Rock shook his head. "And I'm starting to lose even that...sometimes I wonder why I still fight. Believe me, I've thought about doing what you did; leaving it all behind and hiding away..." A thought crossed his mind and he looked at the younger robot. "Why _did_ you leave, anyway?"

Forte flinched visibly, hesitating for a long moment before answering, "I...had to get away..." He glanced straight at Rock. "Wily isn't exactly the nicest creator I could have asked for." Golden eyes filled with envy met with blue-green, envying Rock for being Dr. Light's creation.

Rock blinked. "Then, what is he doing to Blues...?" He was not sure he wanted to know.

"Hopefully not all the stuff he did to me..." Forte shook his head, looking away. "I wish I had the guts to stand up to Wily like you."

"I'm starting to lose those guts..." Rock muttered.

"If you do, then who's going to help Blues?" Rock flinched. "And search for Dr. Light?" Rock's gaze shifted to the floor. "I don't have anyone relying on me, but I'll bet Dr. Light wouldn't want you to give up so easily." Rock nodded slowly.

A soft sound made him look up and toward the window. It was finally raining. Water flowed down the windows and soaked into the sod roof. Rock looked down at his still armored left arm, remembering that his teleporter had been broken for weeks. It was going to be a long walk back to the empty, burned out shell which used to be Dr. Light's laboratory.

"You can stay here," Forte spoke, bringing Rock's attention back to the younger robot. "At least until the rain stops." Forte rubbed the back of his neck. "Although I'm probably not the best of hosts."

Rock blinked. "Are you sure you don't mind? I don't want to be a bother..." Forte shook his head.

"I could use the company," he replied, shrugging and grinning slightly. "I've been by myself so long, I'm starting to _talk_ to myself." Rock let a nervous, but relieved, smile spread across his face. Forte cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck. "Unfortunately there's only one bed..."

"I can sleep on the cot," Rock offered. Forte shook his head. Rock was the guest, no matter what their differences were in the past.

"I don't mind sharing the bed..." Forte responded. "It would be easier on your wounds than this hard thing," he quickly offered as his reasoning which _was_ true. Sleeping on the wobbly, less than sound larger cot would only make Rock stiff and more pained the next day. "You just better not snore. Or kick." That earned him a weak, amused smile from his elder. "Why don't you go wash up first?" Forte asked, crossing his arms. "Clean those wounds a little. I'll bandage them when you're through." Rock looked down at himself and his blood- and mud-covered armor and nodded, standing up and starting down the small hallway toward the tiny makeshift bathroom.

It was really only big enough for the washing basin in the floor and a stool to sit on. A smaller basin sat on a block of wood in the corner, its purpose only for face and hand washing, and a looking glass - a "mirror" according to those in the North - was hung on the wall over it. The larger basin in the floor already had some water in it which Forte was able to warm from his place in the den. Rock often found himself wondering exactly how many everyday things he was unable to do because of his lack of magic.

The now steaming water stung the circuitry in his open wounds, the washing rags catching every now and then, but Rock ignored it, silently thanking Dr. Light for waterproofing every part of his internal structure. He worried he was taking too long, but getting clean felt too good for him to make himself hurry. Three years of almost entirely living in the woods had made Rock very thankful for the things he had once taken for granted such as a simple washing and regular meals. The water was disgusting with dirt and blood by the time he finished, but he felt much better. Forte offered him a change of clothes which Rock timidly accepted and donned. His wounds were dressed, and he was "forced" to eat another apple before they finally retired.

_"Run All the Way"_ -- Megumi Hayashibara  
"The Slayers"


	3. EC 2: Rhythm Emotion

_Chapter Two  
__Rhythm Emotion_

_The right half of his face felt as if it was on fire, vision blurred and red, probably from his own blood pooling into his eye. His left hand was unsteadily keeping the upper half of his body off the floor as his right hand cradled his throbbing face. If he was struck again while his hand was in the way, it would likely break some of the artificial bones in his hand, but he almost preferred that to being struck in the head again._

_"I knew it was a mistake to give you the chance to prove your worth," came the harsh voice above him which he dared not look up to lest he be struck again. "I should have destroyed your soul and made a new one the second I found out what you are - one of the most worthless classes Isis ever created!" He didn't respond to the verbal abuse despite how much it hurt. He knew doing so would earn him more pain. "Look at me!" He bit back a whimper and reluctantly did so only to choke back a cry as the weapon - a piece of a pipe, he suspected - struck the other, previously uninjured side of his face. He felt something crack under that blow, and it took all of his willpower to keep himself from curling into a ball at his tormentor's feet._

_"Why I continue to bother putting up with you, I don't know," the snarling voice continued. "You're worthless against Rock, worthless in your missions, worthless even in the practice field!" He froze when he felt cold metal at the underside of his chin which forced him to look back up into cold, hateful eyes. "What do you have to say for yourself?"_

_He choked on his words, trying desperately to think of something which would not anger his tormentor further. "I-I..." he stammered after a brief, tense moment. "I t-tried...m-my best-"_

_"And it wasn't good enough!" The metal was taken from his chin and brought down upon him again._

* * *

Forte's eyes snapped open, and a hand flew of its own accord to his left cheek as if to protect it as his eyes darted around the room to search for who or what had assaulted his dreams. Shivering and wiping cold sweat from his forehead, he slowly lowered his hand and sat up, forcing himself to calm down. Glancing to his left, he saw Rock sleeping peacefully, curled up with one arm tucked underneath his pillow, a small amount of blood staining his bandages.

Forte stood and walked shakily toward the tiny bathroom, his breathing coming out in ragged gasps, shoulders heaving. Closing the door so as not to disturb Rock, Forte cast the spell to light the three torches on the walls to illuminate the room, looking at himself in the looking glass, at his wide eyes, at his sweat-drenched and tear-stained face. The nightmare and many similar others plagued him every night, but he still had not grown accustomed to it, still acting upon instinct to protect himself until fully awakened.

Forte shook his head, growing angry with himself for still being affected by something that had happened four years past. The first two years after had been the worst -- the nightmares had plagued him every time he closed his eyes to sleep, but it had gotten better during the last two, allowing him a few hours of sleep before awakening him. Despite his anger with himself, however, he still unconsciously rubbed his right cheek and eye as if to make sure they were still fully intact.

He sat on the stool, resting his chin on his folded hands as he thought over the last night's events in an attempt to distract himself, to divert his thoughts from the source of his nightmares. His thoughts trailed to the sleeping form in the other room - Rock seemed so helpless, his eyes filled with dying hope, not caring if he lived or died anymore. Forte could not imagine what Rock had seen during the past three years which could kill him inside like that. He did not entirely know how Roll, Rush, and Beat died nor where Dr. Light or Tango might be hiding, if they were even still alive. It was the one thing that kept Rock going - the small, minute chance that his creator may still be alive somewhere away from Dr. Wily's tyranny and destruction.

Forte sighed. Despite how he used to feel about Rock, he hated seeing the smaller robot so depressed and hopeless, and he knew the morning would be followed by Rock leaving to fight again. Leaving to fight his brother.

Forte's eyes narrowed. Blues was a Shadow Warrior, the highest class of Mages there was. The only other Shadow Warrior Forte knew of was Shadow, and even he could not compare his power to Blues'. Blues' strength in his power made him Dr. Wily's most treasured soldier

_How could he control a Shadow Warrior as powerful as Blues...?_ He wished he knew. Shadow was controlled solely by his loyalty to his Soulgiver which Dr. Wily reinforced so as to prevent himself from losing Shadow as he had lost Forte. The only other who had compared to the two was Metal who could have been called a "flawed" Shadow Warrior though his power was actually not very similar to that of a true Shadow Warrior; however, he could not be controlled at all by Dr. Wily regardless of the fact that Dr. Wily was his Soulgiver as well. Forte shivered when he remembered the unruly and unpredictable Metal who had gone insane shortly after the sixth war and rebelled against Dr. Wily long enough to escape the scientist's hold and run free. _I wonder what he's been up to these past four years..._

Elec had rebelled not long afterwards and had also been successful in escaping as had Quick and Centaur. Ring had managed to flee with Dr. Cossack and Kalinka and their other three surviving robots. Forte had not heard anything of any of them since their "escape", and he assumed they were doing okay. He hoped so. Elec had been one of his best friends when they were still among Dr. Wily's ranks. Elec had been a Myrmidon, but it had not been Dr. Wily he took orders from - after all, Dr. Wily was not Elec's sole creator - he and the entire first army had been a joint project between Dr. Wily and Dr. Light, and Dr. Light was their Soulgiver, tying their loyalty less to Dr. Wily and more to Dr. Light.

Myrmidons were another special class of Mages, overpowered only by Shadow Warriors and Rosicrucians. As a Myrmidon, Elec had been gifted with the power to manipulate and control electricity and light as well as the power of Healing, making him another valuable member of Dr. Wily's ranks. The scientist had been extremely unhappy at the loss of Elec and Metal, taking out his anger on his remaining Robot Masters, forcing them in a fit of insanity to fight each other to the death in front of him in a makeshift arena. Not many survived.

Forte drummed his fingers on the side of the stool. Remembering these things gave him no answers. Dr. Wily could not control a Myrmidon nor even a flawed Shadow Warrior, so how could he control Blues so well? It just did not make sense.

Shaking his head, Forte stood, waving his hand to dispel the torches' flames as he exitted the bathroom and quietly made his way back toward the bed. He crossed his arms and looked back down at Rock who had not moved since Forte had awakened. Forte knew when morning came, Rock would leave to fight again. To fight a hopeless battle. _And judging from the way he was talking earlier, he might just let himself get killed next time..._ He swore at the thought that he was too much a coward to help the smaller robot, but it was the truth. Dr. Wily was a Scion and could destroy the soul he had given Forte without a second thought.

It was why he hid. Dr. Wily needed Forte to be near him in order to destroy his soul. It was something Forte had always envied of Elec. Elec had received his soul and life from Dr. Light, not Dr. Wily. He needed not fear it being destroyed though Dr. Wily certainly had enough influence from helping build Elec and was powerful enough to have easily wrenched it from his body and used that to control him.

Forte nearly slapped himself.

_Of course!_ he inwardly swore, slapping his forehead for not seeing it sooner. _He's taken control of Blues' soul...that _has_ to be the reason! That has to be how he's controlling him._ The thought of Blues' soul floating inside a jar in Dr. Wily's quarters sent chills up Forte's spine, but it was the only possible explanation.

"But how could he get Blues' soul back...and also put it back _in_ him..." Forte muttered, crossing his arms again and leaning against the wall.

"You tell me."

Forte yelped and dove forward, spinning around and growling as Blues slid from the shadows on the wall, expression blank as before. "So, this is where you have been hiding," Blues spoke as the tails of his scarf came free of the wall. Forte's eyes narrowed.

"If you knew where I was, Wily, why didn't you come after me yourself?" Forte snapped and reached behind his back and into the waistband of his pants, gripping the withdrawn rod of his duelsabre, Solandri.

Blues - or, rather, Dr. Wily - did not answer. Blues merely stared at Forte, unblinking, unmoving, for a moment before slowly turning his head to his left and raising his arm cannon. Forte swore.

"Rock, _run_!"

Rock snapped awake with a snort and blinked stupidly for a brief moment at Blues' charging arm cannon before yelping and rolling off of the bed just before the shot was released and burned a hole through the wall. Forte sniffed, "You're cutting the replacement lumber this time."

Fumbling his helmet back on and recalling his armor, Rock stumbled to his feet and brushed pieces of burning wood off of his shoulders. Blues reformed his arm and brought his hands together, crackling shadow energy forming in the small space between his palms. Before Rock could even begin to speak, if he even had anything to say, Forte lashed out to get in the first blow. Solandri was extended, and her trident blade on the end facing the floor was ignited, bathing the room in a bright, neon green firelight. The electrical fire became a blinding arc as she was swung upwards. Blood gushed and smoke billowed from Blues' torso as his armor was pierced and skin and circuitry were shredded and seared from his hip to his shoulder, yet he did not flinch, did not blink. Forte then leapt backwards, grabbing Rock by his wrist, spinning around, and bolting out of the still burning hole in the wall where he dragged the smaller robot out into the rain and disappeared into the bushes and trees.

It all happened so fast, Rock was dazed, confused for a brief moment before he shot a glance over his shoulder and howled, his legs stumbling and half-limp underneath him as Forte made him run through the darkness, "N-NO! Blues!"

"I didn't kill him!" Forte snapped, weaving through the trees, using Solandri's fire to guide them through the shadows. "It's nothing Wily can't just patch up later or get one of the Healers to take care of," Forte continued, hissing as his foot caught on a tree root and nearly sent the duo to the ground before he managed to right himself and continue running. "You're still to weak to put up a fight, and I can't take him alone." Rock wanted to protest the accusation of his weakness, but he decided better of it. He was already tired of running, and a fight would only exhaust him further.

Once deep into the trees, Forte slid to a stop and spun around to face the direction of his cabin. He could already see the bright yellow of Blues' scarf cutting through the wet darkness, so he did not have much time to think and had to act on the first idea which came to him. He raised one hand to the sky, narrowing his eyes and concentrating on a small patch of dead leaves on the ground. Thunder rumbled over the canopy, and lightning lit the landscape, flashing over Blues' visor in the distance. Rock wanted to ask Forte what he was doing, but he dared not break his concentration, and his unspoken question was soon answered as Forte quickly brought down his hand in an arc. As if called by him, and it probably was for all Rock knew, a bolt of lightning tore through the canopy, flashing brightly enough to blind, and despite the rain soaking the grass and leaves on the ground, they were lit aflame to form a barrier between them and Blues. One was not enough for Forte to feel safe though, and he repeated two more times until a solid wall of flame separated them from Dr. Wily's slave which quickly spread in a line to cut off any easily accessible way around the barrier. Satisfied Blues was sufficiently cut off, Forte resecured his hold on Rock's arm and resumed their dash through the trees.

"Where are we _going_?" Rock demanded as he tried to twist his arm out of Forte's uncomfortable grip. He was no more worried than Forte about the burning forest behind them - he knew the rain was falling steadily enough to prevent the flames from growing out of control yet not so much as to extinguish them before he and Forte could escape.

"There's a farm on the other side of these trees," Forte answered between dodging around vegetation. "The farmer let me stay in his barn when I was building - and rebuilding - my house. Wily never followed me there, so it should be safe enough until the morning." As if on cue, the foliage parted to reveal a large field surrounded by a wooden fence. The barn could barely be seen across the field, shrouded by darkness and sheets of rain, but the younger robot guided them both toward it, throwing open the barn door just long enough for the two of them to disappear inside it before he closed it again.

Forte left Solandri extended and ignited even as the duo sank into a pile of hay, panting from exhertion and ignoring the inquisitive glances, sniffs, and noises they received from the cows and chickens. The two sat in silence save for their panting and shivering for nearly an hour until they were sure they had either lost Blues or Dr. Wily had given up. With a weary sigh, Forte diminished and collapsed Solandri, keeping her out and ready just in case.

While he recovered from the run, Rock took a few moments to survey the barn from his position in the hay, counting five drowsy cows, a few dozen noisy chickens, one annoyed cat stalking one frightened rat, and a bloodhound which was still asleep despite thunder and noises from its barnmates. One stall was empty, but the splintered door was what caught Rock's attention. The hinges were hanging limp from where they had once connected the door to the stall, and the interior of the stall was not in much better condition, holes in the barn walls patched with planks of wood messily nailed into place. The cows were stalled far away from it. The chickens were loose with the cat and dog, but all avoided that end of the barn as if afraid.

"What happened in that one?" Rock asked and nodded to the stall he to which he was referring.

Forte followed his gaze before answering with a shake of his head, "He found a foal. Thought he could control it when it grew up. Humans think they can control anything."

"A foal...that's a horse, right?" Forte nodded, and Rock had to suppress a shudder. Horses were beings of nightmares as were all of their relatives from seahorses to unicorns. Only Dr. Wily rivaled them in their viciousness.

That thought brought to mind Rock's next question which he was more hesitant to ask, "What do we do now?"

"That's a good question," Forte answered with a sigh and leaned his head back against the wall of the barn. "Drying off sounds like a good idea for right now." He squeezed some water out of his pants leg as if to emphasize that. He stood and glanced around the barn for a moment. "Ah, there it is." He picked up a stool and carried it over to one stall, and, ignoring a cow's inquisitive moo, he used the stool to lift himself high enough to pull an old blanket from its compartment above the stall. "It's a little scratchy, but it'll do until your clothes dry."

"What about you?" Rock asked, his voice a little muffled as he tried to peel his soaked shirt off which was doing its best to get stuck on his head. With a helpful tug from Forte, he was able to escape the wet fabric and continue. "You're just as soaked as I am."

"Yeah, but you're still weak whether you want to admit it or not," was Forte's answer. "You don't want your systems to cool down too much, especially this rapidly." Rock's next question was cut off as the blanket was thrown over his head. "Wrap up in that and start drying off. I'll be right back."

"What?" Rock protested as he struggled out of the blanket. "Where are you going?"

"The farmer's house. He'll be a little crabby this time of night, but he probably won't mind loaning us some dry clothes." He stayed barely long enough to hear Rock's muffled "Oh, okay" before disappearing back into the rain.

Rock let out a frustrated yell as he finally managed to untangle himself from the blanket and wet tunic, quite sure his hair was in complete disarray by now. As if confirming his suspicion, the barn cat had climbed atop a barrel and was batting at his hair with a contented mew. "What are you looking at?" he questioned the feline even though he could not help but give it a small smile. He shook his head and began peeling off the rest of his wet clothing, huddling up in the rough blanket when he was finished. The air was exceptionally cool on his still damp skin, and it did not take long for him to start shivering despite how hard he tried not to.

Thankfully, Forte returned after just a few more moments, dry clothes wrapped in a tarp to keep them dry. "They probably won't fit, but they're better than nothing," the younger stated. Rock just nodded in agreement and took the offered clothing before turning away to pull them on as Forte struggled out of his own wet clothing and used the blanket to dry off his skin. Once he too was dressed again, Forte turned back to Rock and had to choke back a laugh.

"'Probably won't fit'?" Rock asked as he attempted to find his feet in the overabundance of pants legs. His hands were nowhere to be found either in the sleeves of the tunic he was given, the neck of the tunic sliding off one shoulder. Forte's clothes did not fit either, but they did fit better than Rock's, just a little bunched up at his wrists and ankles.

"Well, those are his wife's, actually..." Forte responded, amused. "And she's...well, suffice it to say she doesn't skip many meals." Rock rolled his eyes and began rolling up the sleeves and legs so he could find his hands and feet. "I'll trade if you want."

"No, this is fine. I could use a belt or something though." Thankfully, Rock quickly found a length of rope short enough to function as a belt. "That's better."

Forte sat back down in the hay and sighed. "It's just for the night - our clothes should be dry in the morning." Folding his hands behind his head, he started trying to drift to sleep but was jarred when Rock sat down beside him.

"And...what do we do now?" came the question Forte had been expecting.

"Well," he drawled in response, staring up at the ceiling of the barn. "Can't go back home - not for a while, anyway. Road only goes two ways - Fuu or Ivona. Take your pick." If Rock was going to say anything, it was cut off by a long, drawn out yawn. "I figured out how Wily's controlling Blues." As expected, that received Rock's full attention. "He helped build Blues, remember?" Rock nodded, and Forte continued, "Dr. Light was his Soulgiver though, so only he could destroy his soul; however, simply because Blues is technically half Wily's, Wily _can_ take his soul out of his body, leaving just the shell of his body as an obedient puppet."

Rock had to take a moment to let that sink in before he dared speak again, responding, "So, technically...that's not really Blues."

"Not anymore, it isn't - it explains why he doesn't react to anything and why Wily has to talk through him." Forte squirmed a little to get more comfortable.

"Is there any way at all to help him?" Rock had to ask.

"That's the tricky part," Forte replied, folding his hands on his stomach. "_If_, and that's a big 'if', we could somehow get Blues' soul and body, we could find someone to reunite them, but there are a lot of problems with that plan. We'd have to get into the Fortress to get Blues' soul, for one. Second, we'd have to detain his body and somehow keep Wily from controlling it to fight us. Third...we'd have to find someone who could put Blues' soul back in his body."

"Who could do that? With Dr. Light...gone..." Rock looked down at his lap.

"That's where I turn up a blank. I don't know if only another Scion could do it or anything else with the right power." Forte shook his head. "Dr. Cossack probably could, but he's practically on the complete opposite side of the continent from Wily's Fortress. With Wily trying to control Blues' body, we couldn't drag it that far, and that's assuming we could even get both in the first place."

"So, basically, we're stuck either way," Rock sighed.

"Well, let's just wait and see. I have a friend in Ivona who may be able to point us in the right direction. If we can find someone other than Dr. Cossack who could push Blues' soul back in his body..."

Rock finally looked at him with a confused frown and vulnerable expression as he asked, "Why are you even offering? You don't owe me anything..."

Forte shrugged. "Well, I can't exactly just go back home, like I said. Only way to go is forward. Besides, we aren't enemies anymore...I can't just stand by and do nothing." Rock looked away again, unsure as to how to react to Forte's offer. It was going to take some adjustment to grow used to not being alone anymore. "Well, that, and I was hoping you'd fix the hole in my wall when it's safe to go back." That earned him a wet blanket to the face.

"Are you sure Wily isn't still searching?" Rock asked to which Forte shook his head.

"No, but I'm not very sleepy anymore. I'll stay up and keep an eye and ear out while you get some more rest. And before you even ask, yes, I'm sure." Rock's face flushed lightly at Forte answering his next question before he asked it. He was hesitant to do so, but after a moment more's coaxing from the younger robot, he finally rolled over and closed his eyes to sleep, trusting that Forte would not leave during the night.

* * *

_Rock pulled against the grip of Shadow and Gyro, but could not break free as Dr. Light's laboratory burned like an inferno in Tartarus, tongues of flames reaching high in the sky and the heat searing Rock's face even as he was held several hundred meters away. The flames roared angrily, trying to lick those who had started it. Rock roared and pulled harder against the Robot Masters' grip as an explosion inside the laboratory sent a plume of fire into the air, smoke clouding the sky._

_A scream tore Rock's attention from the burning laboratory, his gaze shooting to his right as Roll kicked and squirmed in Tomahawk's grip on her long, blonde hair, the axe in his other hand dripping blood. Rightot's body lay on the ground in a growing pool of circulatory fluids, internal circuitry and wiring being ripped and torn from his lifeless body with merciless regard by a cackling Gemini. Rock's blood ran cold as his struggles increased._

_"No! Stop it!!" Rock screamed, arm cannon firing wildly but never hitting his targets as Gyro jerked his arm to the side, sending the shots into the night._

_A rapid flutter of feathers issued as Beat attempted to flee, eyes wide and filled with terror. A wolfish grin spread across Gemini's face as he looked up, aiming at the blue bird and firing. The Gemini Laser neatly sliced off one of Beat's wings, sending it crashing to the dusty ground as Gemini walked closer, cackling and firing again and again. Circulatory fluids splashed and gushed, and chunks of metallic shell and armor flew into the air as Beat screeched at the top of its robotic lungs, the noise piercing Rock's soul like a red hot iron before Beat's optics darkened and it finally went silent._

_Rush tore from the burning lab, flames clinging to his back as he galloped across the burning ground, howling and screeching like a hell hound. Tomahawk spun around, throwing an arc of feather-shaped razors. Rush fell hard on his side as one of the blades pierced his cracked and burned chest armor, skidding along the ground to tumble to a stop a few paces from Shadow and Gyro and their captive._

_Rock screamed, now firing charged shots as rapidly as he could, giving Shadow and Gyro increasing difficulty in keeping him still. Roll screamed again as Tomahawk pulled back the arm holding the axe and swung. Roll's scream died in her throat as her head was sliced neatly from her shoulders, blood splattering, her body falling to the ground in a heap as her head dangled in Tomahawk's grip. With a sadistic grin, the Robot Master tossed her head away to let it land at Rock's feet, Roll's lifeless eyes staring up at him._

_Rock's eyes clouded with tears as he screamed at the top of his lungs, his heartbroken agony reaching into the smoky sky as the Robot Masters laughed._

* * *

Rock snapped awake with a scream, strong hands pinning his shoulders to the haystack to keep him from tossing and turning and bolting upright. Forte kept him pinned even as Rock's scream died off and was replaced with uncontrollable sobbing, face hidden in the palms of his hands, whimpering.

"Shh...shh..." Forte crooned, rubbing Rock's arms as the smaller robot wailed underneath him.

"All dead...all my fault..." Rock whimpered. "My fault..." Forte shook his head and pulled Rock into a sitting position as one of the barnyard cats sauntered closer, bright green eyes curious and unblinking.

"It's not your fault," Forte admonished, gently shaking Rock until he could get the smaller robot to look at him.

"Yes it is...yes it is..." Rock whispered, his breath heaving as his body attempted to calm him down but failed. "Th-They needed me, and I failed them...Roll called for me...she begged me, and I _failed_..." He looked down as the ash-grey cat rubbed against his waist, purring and blinking up at him with its bright green eyes. For a brief moment, Rock's eyes betrayed him, and Tango purred up at him and rubbed his waist to try to dispell whatever was upsetting him. Then reality took over again, and Rock cried even harder.

"T-Tango...Dr. Light...th-they must be dead - they must be, or...or I'd have found them by now..."

"Rock, none of this was your fault," Forte snapped, gripping Rock's shoulders tighter. "And Dr. Light and Tango aren't dead. You can't give up so easily!"

Rock shook his head limply, his still damp hair sliding over his cloudy blue-green eyes. "I've searched for so long...I'm tired...I don't want to anymore..." Forte sighed, releasing Rock's shoulders and sitting back on his haunches as Rock curled back up, pulling the cat into his lap to rub its ears. The cat responded by purring louder and licking the tears from Rock's face.

"I'm tired...of being lonely," Rock sighed, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand.

"I'll stay with you," Forte offered, pulling Solandri free from her place at his back and looking over her retracted, harmless-looking rod.

"...you'll die, then. He'll kill everyone near me..." Rock muttered, scratching the cat's chin as it purred louder.

"I'm not so easy to kill."

Rock let the next several moments pass in silence, content with petting the cat and seeing how loud it could purr. The nightmare had been the same as always, making him relive that fateful night. He remembered the Robot Masters teleporting away, leaving him to stare at the bloody, torn bodies of his family and the burning remains of the laboratory. He remembered carrying Rush into the trees and caring for him three days after the attack. He remembered Rush sitting up that third day, licking his face one last time, and dying in his arms. He remembered burying his family next to the smoldering remains of the laboratory.

He remembered all this, and his heart clenched, his stomach convulsed, and his eyes burned.

"Where...where will we go?" Rock finally spoke, trying to avert his mind. "I've got to face him again..."

Forte answered, putting Solandri away, "Ivona's closer than Fuu, and like I said, I have a friend there. Last I heard, he was still staying there. I doubt he's left." He shook his head, moving back up the haystack to sit beside Rock again. "We'll set out in the morning. Hopefully the storm will pass over by then. Blues shouldn't be able to attack us during broad daylight, or, at least, he won't be nearly as powerful, so we--" He cut himself off and let a half-amused half-sympathetic grin pass over his face as he looked to his right and saw that Rock had fallen back to sleep, the cat curled up and resting on his chest. Forte did not blame him - the older robot was likely exhausted beyond words.

Forte sighed and lay back on the haystack, arms resting behind his head as he closed his eyes and hoped the next day would be much more pleasant.

_"Rhythm Emotion"_ -- Two-Mix  
"Gundam Wing"


	4. EC 3: Heart of Sword

Electrical Communication

_Chapter Three_   
_Heart of Sword_

"Hey, Rock? Rock!"   
Rock grunted and cracked open his eyes, blinking against the sunlight that crept through the wooden slats and various openings of the barn. He tried to sit up, but the large, grey tomcat on his chest made it clear that it did not want to be moved just yet. Rock glanced around until he found Forte in one of the darker corners of the barn holding a stone bowl, Solandri extended with her scythe blade ignited.   
"What?" Rock groaned.   
"How do you like your eggs?" Forte asked, glancing into the bowl with a disapproving glare, "Scrambled, burnt, or raw?"   
"...um...scrambled?"   
"Wise choice," Forte grumbled, setting down the bowl and making his way back down the row of stables towards the chickens on the opposite end of the barn out of Rock's line of sight. A chicken clucked in protest and Forte walked back, emptying a thoroughly burned egg out of the bowl in his left hand as he shook the two eggs in his right hand to break the yolk, cracking the shells to get the broken yolk into the bowl and tossing the shells aside. Rock watched with half interest as Forte placed the bowl onto Solandri's fiery blade and conscentrated hard on not ruining the eggs.   
With a yawn, Rock sat up, the cat meowing in protest, but removing itself from his chest. A dull grunt issued from behind Rock, making him jump slightly and turn around to see that he had been using a large bloodhound's belly for a pillow during the night. Another bloodhound was still curled up where Forte's head had likely been, and several cats and terriers crowded around him as he cooked the eggs. Rock blinked, and grinned slightly.   
"I think they're hungry, too," he spoke.   
"They've been following me around all morning," Forte responded, removing the bowl from Solandri's blade and extinguishing and retracting her, "They look like they're waiting for me to give them orders or something. Even the cats." He shook his head, tucking Solandri in the back of his pants waistband as he made his way through the cats and dogs back over to Rock and the haystack. "Here you go." Rock took the bowl and looked into it, his stomach growling when he saw and smelled the cooked, only slightly burned eggs.   
"What about you?" he asked, blowing on the eggs to cool them.   
"I already ate," Forte answered with a yawn as he sat down on the haystack and was promptly hoarded by cats all trying to share his lap. Rock choked back a laugh at Forte's exhasperation. "The sun's high. If we're going to get to the next village before dusk when Blues' power will be returning, we'd better get moving soon." Rock nodded and quickly saw to eating and filling his empty stomach. The energy canister from the night before had healed most of his wounds, but his stomach and tongue craved food. He had not truly eaten anything since Roll had been killed except maybe a few berries from bushes every so often. He had nearly forgotten what eggs tasted like. Not that food was vital. It was more of a luxury.   
One of the bloodhounds sniffed at Rock's food, and Rock had to lean away in order to avoid getting dog slobber on his breakfast. Forte tugged on the dog's ear, muttering, "Leave him alone..." The bloodhound snuffed, disappointed, but set its head down to let Rock finish eating.   
Forte stood up and walked to one of the windows of the barn as Rock finished eating. "We'd better go, and quick. The farmer's coming." Rock nodded, climbing off of the haystack and following Forte to exit through the back of the barn, running away from their shelter. Puddles splashed and their boots, armored or no, were coated with mud as they made their way through a small field of tomatoes on the farmer's land and ran towards the dirt road, slowing to a walk once they reached it. Forte lead the way down the road, to the northeast.   
"It's likely going to be dusk by the time we get there if we stay on foot," Forte stated with a small yawn, making sure Solandri was secure in the waistband of his pants at his back, "Maybe even full dark. I don't think Wily's stupid enough to have Blues attack a village, but he might be. We shouldn't hear much from him during the day." Rock nodded, understanding. "I wish I'd been able to grab a backpack or something. Then we could get supplies there."   
"I'm sorry about your house."   
Forte shook his head. "Wily probably would have found me soon, anyway. It's just not safe there anymore until Blues is dealt with." He glanced at Rock, and blinked, a thought crossing his mind. "You might want to armor down." Rock blinked at him. "You might get mobbed when we reach the village. People will recognize you in that." Rock cringed at the thought and nodded, pressing the small, blue cube on the forehead of his helmet to make his armor disappear, helmet with it, leaving him dressed in a white, long-sleeved shirt, white cloth pants, and black boots. He could recall his armor with a mental command if he needed it. With his helmet not shadowing his face slightly, his eyes gleamed brilliantly in the sunlight, changing from midnight blue to grass green to a lovely blue-green like seawater depending on how the light shined, irridescent like a butterfly's wings.   
"Forte?" he asked after a moment of silence, ignoring the persistant squish their boots continued to make in the muddy road. Forte glanced at him. "Do you know the story about why Scions are the only people with technology? I used to know it, but I forget." Forte blinked at the odd question, but nodded. "Who told you?"   
"Centaur Man. He always was interested in mythology and stuff like that."   
"How did he tell it?" Rock asked, "Might be different from what I was told." Forte rubbed the back of his neck, trying to remember.   
"Ages ago, the gods were at war with each other, each claiming that they were better than the others and could do more spectacular deeds. Stupid reasons to fight, but then again, it's also the main reason why humans fight." Rock nodded, listening quietly. "Eventually, Horus grew tired of the long-winded argument and demanded that each of them do or create something to prove themselves, and then they would resolve the argument once and for all. There was no time limit, so each god had plenty of time to think of what they would make to outdo the others.   
"Horus created the planet, which we know as Hesparia. A thousand or so years later, Isis created the plants and the atmosphere and its continually changing weather pattern. Sekhmet was next after a long time, creating the birds, animals, fish, and, to top it all off, humans. She gave them the ability to use tools to make shelter and clothing -- made them sentient. She also gifted them with fire and knowledge of magic -- to which Isis came up with the different Classes. It was a very, very long time afterwards when Anubis made his creation..."   
"The Scions..." Rock muttered. Forte nodded, then blinked and glanced over his shoulder as a dual-horse drawn wagon pulled into view. The man guiding it pulled the horses' reins to halt them and glanced down at Forte and Rock.   
"You boys headed to Ivona?" he asked, face weather-hardened but with a friendly smile.   
"Yes, we are, sir," Forte answered, Rock all but hiding behind him, peeking over his shoulder.   
"You'll never make it before full dark if you stay on foot," the human stated, "Hop in the back. I'll get you there before sundown." They thanked him and quickly climbed into the wagon, sitting atop the large pumpkins and steadying themselves when the horses began pulling again.   
"Well...we should be able to avoid Blues, this way," Forte muttered, yawning, "And Wily's probably too dependant on Blues now to think to send out anyone else." He shook his head, leaning back against the edge of the wagon. "Anyway...yeah. Anubis created the Scions about one-hundred thousand years ago, just before humans really started recording their history. He made them to spite Sekhmet's hard work on creating the humans. He gathered four humans and gave them knowledge beyond what humans had been created to fathom. He also gave them technology and the means to create more for themselves. Ordinary humans couldn't begin to guess what all of these new mechanical and electric tools were for and what they could do. Only the Scions could use the technology given to them because only their minds were able to comprehend what everything was capable of.   
"Anubis made sure that there would never be any more than four Scions at one time, and it's impossible for a Scion to have children, so when one dies, the magic that makes them what they are drifts for a varied amount of time before choosing a new Scion. Scions are 'gifted' with the ability to create robots and give them a life of their own -- a soul of their own, and they can destroy it at any time they wish. The robot has to be completely rebuilt in order to be given a new soul. Sekhmet views Scions and robots as freaks of nature." Forte shrugged with a small grin. "Which I guess we are, in a way, but anyway...   
"Anubis never meant for the Scions to war against each other or against the humans -- at least, that's what the history books say. As far as anyone knows, he could have been trigger happy or the Scions might have been his revenge against Horus, Isis, and Sekhmet for beating him in the 'contest'. Or he could have simply lost control over the Scions. However it happened, two new Scions arose fifty-some-odd years ago, and the Reign of Wily began almost nine years ago. The rest, I believe you already know."   
Rock nodded and remained silent for several moments, brooding. He remembered when Dr. Light and Dr. Wily had worked together -- had been friends. They had teamed together to create himself and Roll, Blues before them, and Rock had helped create the first six Robot Masters, drawing their designs and aiding with the construction. The six had been designed to aid humans in many ways. Sekhet-Aanru had been created to cut down trees for crop space or for lumber to be used to build housing. Geb had been created to transfer the lumber or clear roads after tornadoes. Osiris had been meant to explore the arctic and tundra and other areas too cool for humans for healing herbs and game. Khet was to be used to destroy fallen rocks in montane regions, Uraeus for burning old crops and clearing underbrush for Sekhet-Aanru. Min had been created for the sea, capable of fighting off sea serpents and other oceanic monsters, or to act as a lightning rod during harsh storms.   
All six had been stolen by Dr. Wily and renamed. Sekhet-Aanru had been renamed to Cut Man, Geb to Guts Man, Osiris to Ice Man, Khet to Bomb Man. Uraeus had been renamed to Fire Man, and Min was now known as Elec Man. Rock had considered them all to be his brothers, and it had pained him to have to fight them. Until Dr. Wily had sent them to attack Dr. Light's laboratory over a year later, Rock had never been sure if they had survived his attacks. He was happy that they survived, but still pained that they were fighting against him.   
Rock shook his head and looked back up at Forte as he asked, "Who are we meeting at this village, again...?"   
"A friend of mine who escaped Wily's control a long time ago," Forte answered, "If I remember right, he was taken in by a priest and stays at the church."   
"Who?"   
"You'll see." Rock blinked, but dropped the subject. The rest of the day passed quietly, the silence rarely broken.

* * * * * 

The sky was red and orange from sunset when they finally reached Ivona, thanking the farmer one last time before leaving the wagon and starting down the muddy lanes of the village. The inn and the church were the only buildings which stood out. The market was open air and closing for the day, most of the booths and tables empty and wagons gone.   
"I hope you have some money," Forte muttered, "Or we'll be camping out in a puddle. All of my money's at home." Rock nodded.   
"Yeah," he answered, "Dr. Light made lots of money from the local farmers with the plows and other things he made. I make sure I keep plenty with me since my teleporter doesn't work, and if I run out, I can get some more whenever I recall my armor." Forte nodded, glancing around the quiet village as more and more people disappeared into their houses or into the inn for the night.   
"Do you want to go ahead to the church or rest up first?" he asked.   
Rock shook his head. "Get this over with..." Forte nodded, leading the way to the church.   
It was a large building, the largest in the village, with two columns of fifty pews each lining the floor, the altar rising high above the pews, two confessionals in the back corner. Behind the altar against the back wall was a large painting of the Four Gods; Horus, Isis, Sekhmet, and Anubis in their shining glory, each holding a sphere representing what he or she created in the Great Creation. Horus held the planet, Hesparia, Isis -- also known as The Weathermaker to some regions of Hesparia -- held a hurricane in front of her, Sekhmet sported a raven, and Anubis held a gross attempt at painting a computer chip, showing his role as the creator of technology and the Scions. It was one of the few churches that Forte knew of which honored all of the Four Gods. Most honored Horus and Sekhmet, a few highly honored Isis, and Anubis was abolished in a great many churches, especially after the Reign of Wily began.   
A dozen priests milled about, cleaning statuettes, dusting pews, sweeping floors, and talking with villagers. Most wore white and blue robes, but there was one figure that stood out from the others. He was tall and wore black robes with red trim and a gold emblem of a lightning bolt in the center of his back and chest, a white blindfold over his eyes, short-cut platinum blonde hair spilling over his face. In his hands, coming up to his forehead, was a silver sceptre, streaked in a spiral with gold down the body, the head of the sceptre ending in a cobra's head, hood flared and fangs poised to strike, large emeralds shining as its eyes, even with his own, and wings of platinum spread behind its hood. Rock froze.   
"...Elec Man..?"   
Forte nodded, answering, "He was one of the first to rebel against Wily and escape." Rock glanced at Forte, blinking slowly before turning his attention back to Elec Man. He stared for a few minutes before his expression twisted slightly, almost pained as he gulped slightly, closing his eyes for a moment.   
"S-So..." he muttered, voice hushed and eyes still closed, "How can he help us...?"   
Forte crossed his arms, glancing around the cathedral briefly before answering, "Hopefully, he can tell us how to get control of Blues. How to reunite Blues with his soul." Rock remained silent, opening his eyes to watch Elec Man cautiously. "Come on," Forte said, stepping forward down the isle of pews, Rock hesitating slightly, but following. Elec Man stood near the end of the column, head tilted downward as if he was staring at the floor as he leaned against the sceptre. Rock stopped before Elec Man, staring up at his old enemy with an expression of uncertainty. He glanced at Forte, then leaned forward to tap Elec Man's shoulder in an attempt to gain his attention.   
Elec Man jumped slightly, glancing up, but looking past them. "Hmm?" he spoke, his voice soft, softer than Rock remembered it being years past, "May I help you...?"   
"Hey, Light Brite!" Forte beamed, and Elec Man's expression turned to a half-glare of annoyance.   
"You're lucky you're the only one I let call me that..." Forte just grinned.   
Rock stared at Elec Man, as if his eyes were trying to absorb every detail of his face. He slowly looked up at Forte, then Elec Man. _They seem like brothers_, he thought, _Joking together...smiling... _ He studied Elec Man's face further, his gaze lingering on the blindfold which hid Elec Man's gold eyes. _He's blind...he wasn't blind before..._   
"What do you need?" Elec Man asked Forte before tilting his head back to Rock's direction, still looking past them, "And who's with you?"   
"I need to see if you can answer something for me," Forte answered, then looked to Rock, "Hey. Say something."   
Rock jumped, startled, then blushed with embarrassment. "Um...hello...Elec Man..." he whispered, though his voice wavered on the Robot Master's name. He cleared his throat, and his voice turned stronger, defensive. "You remember me?"   
Elec Man's expression brightened a little, and he smiled as he responded, "Hi Rock!"   
Rock blinked slowly, then glanced at his feet. "Hi..."   
Elec Man glanced back in Forte's direction and asked, "Answer what?"   
"Do you know what needs to be done in order to reunite a robot's soul with its body after it's been removed? That has to be how Wily's controlling Blues," Forte answered. Rock cringed slightly at the mention of Blues' name, but said nothing, looking away.   
Elec Man blinked several times behind his blindfold before stammering in response, "Um...I...don't have a clue. That's beyond me. I know that if it was _destroyed_, Blues would have to be killed, but Wily couldn't do that since Dr. Light gave him his soul..." He shook his head. "The High Priest would probably be able to tell you. Or at least direct you to someone who could."   
Rock glanced back, expression twisted so as not to show the pain Elec Man's words had caused. "So...you don't know...?" he squeaked. He stumbled back and sat weakly on one of the benches. "Blues..."   
Elec Man shook his head. "No. I'm sorry, but I don't have a clue. The High Priest would be your best bet here."   
Forte sighed and nodded. "Okay," he muttered, "I'll go talk to him." He looked down at Rock. "Stay here and relax for a minute. I'll be right back." Rock just nodded as Forte left, leaving him and the former Robot Master alone.   
Elec Man hesitated for a moment before glancing down at Rock and speaking, "I'm sorry I couldn't help."   
Rock pulled his knees to his chest, resting his chin on them. "...it's okay..." he whispered.   
"I wish it was, but I know it's not. I wish I could have been more of a help to you," Elec Man responded, leaning against his sceptre slightly. Rock muttered something under his breath, rocking back and forth. Elec Man tilted his head, blinking. "Hmm?"   
Rock seemed to consider whether he should repeat himself, then glared at the floor. "I said...why should you care?"   
Elec Man blinked. "Why wouldn't I? Blues is my brother as much as he is yours, and unlike you, I know what he might be going through under Wily's command."   
Rock tensed, eyes narrowing as he all but snarled his response, "Since when have you ever cared about this side of the family? You ditched us."   
Elec Man tilted his head as he answered, "I was reprogrammed. I had no choice."   
"What about afterwards?" Rock snorted, "You came here... why did you come here? Why didn't you come home?"   
"Oh, that..." Elec Man muttered, his cheerful mood dampening a little, "Wily sent out a bunch of Robot Masters to find and kill me, and it took me a week to lose them.   
"Right after that was when my sight started going. I woke up one morning and it was blurry beyond belief. The next morning, everything was darker than it should have been. My sight was completely gone in four days." Rock stared at the floor for a moment, then looked up at Elec Man.   
"Why didn't you tell anyone to write us?"   
"I tried, but the High Priest was always too busy, and everyone else has always been too afraid of me to get near me. And I couldn't find the next room most of the time, much less find paper and identify a pen, otherwise I would have written myself."   
"Too busy, eh?" Rock hissed, "Too busy for _family_?"   
Elec Man shook his head. "I don't know, but he never got around to it. Most of the time he was out of town or too busy with some business here. Other times he'd forget, but I kept asking him."   
Rock looked away, his voice shaking, portraying his disbelief in Elec Man's words. "...did you really? Did you really think about us at all?"   
Elec Man nodded. "All the time. Even when I was with Wily. It made me sick to know that we were on opposite sides."   
Rock closed his eyes. "...you ran away from him...that's what Forte said...why didn't you run away sooner...? Before I had to fight...?"   
"I couldn't before then. I wasn't strong enough. I was the third to escape from Wily, and the two before me had weakened his defenses enough during their escape for me to finally get out of there." Rock looked hesitant, unsure whether to believe Elec Man or not. Elec Man looked down to the floor, silent. He felt guilty for being unable to escape Dr. Wily before he did, and felt terrible for being unable to contact Rock after he finally did escape.   
Rock closed his eyes, his body shaking slightly. "...you seem happy here," he whispered, sounding bitter. He had not known happiness in three years. Not since...   
Elec Man glanced back up, turning his head as if he was looking around the cathedral. "It's nice...but it's not home."   
Rock flinched, then snarled, harshly. "There isn't a home anymore!" He cut himself off abruptly, surprised at his outburst and curling up tightly.   
Elec Man sighed. "I know...I wish I could have been there to help you and the others."   
Rock tensed, visibly, and dug his fingers into his arm. "Yes...I need lots of help, don't I?" he hissed. He shivered, muttering mostly to himself. "I'm useless...that's why Dr. Light doesn't want to be near me...he knows I'm useless and can't protect him! I'm only alive because of Forte!"   
Elec Man tilted his head, eyes narrowed behind his blindfold. "Rock, don't say that. Dr. Light wouldn't avoid you."   
"Then where is he?" Rock demanded, his trembling increasing. "Why haven't I seen him in three whole years?!"   
"...I don't know..." Elec Man sighed, sitting down beside Rock.   
Rock clenched his fingers even tighter. "I know...I know why...he knew I couldn't stop the Robot Masters...that's why he left when...!" Rock's eyes widened in horror as the thought grew in his mind. Had Dr. Light known that he would not have been able to save them? Had he known and left them for dead to save himself? "If...Dr. Light had been there..." Rock choked, "...Rush...Roll...Rightot...Beat...they'd all be alive...he could have saved them..."   
"Rock..." Elec Man started, but trailed off, unsure of what to say.   
Rock choked. "They'd have lived...I wouldn't have been alone...he didn't just abandon me...he abandoned everyone!" Elec Man slid an arm around Rock's shoulder, crooning softly as he tried to calm him.   
Rock jumped at the touch, then turned to stare at Elec Man, eyes glistening from tears that refused to fall. Elec Man rubbed Rock's shoulder gently. He couldn't see the tears, but he heard the sniff and crooned gently. "Shh...it's okay. Let it out if you want to. That's part of what this place is here for. To help people with their problems."   
Rock shook his head violently, the tears pouring down his cheeks. A few drops landed on Elec Man's arm as he tried desperately to wipe it away. "N-Nothing can help..." he responded, shivering, "They're dead...and he left me...I d-don't have anything left..."   
Elec Man continued to croon and rub Rock's arm, trying to comfort him. "You have Forte. And he seems more than willing to help you out."   
"F-Forte...?" Rock choked, "I've caused him so much trouble..."   
"But he's still willing to help."   
"I don't see why..." Rock sighed, wiping at his cheeks, "He's in so much danger now...because of me..." He shook his head, taking several deep breaths. _I'm not going to cry...not again..._

* * * * * 

"I'm sorry...anything involving robots is beyond the reach of anyone in this village, including me," the High Priest of the cathedral spoke, appologizing. Forte's shoulders slumped as he sighed. "Again, I'm sorry. I don't think a normal human could do such a deed as restoring the soul of a robot, anyway."   
"So, what you're saying is that our only hope is finding Dr. Light or Dr. Cossack..." Forte sighed.   
The High Priest slowly nodded, tall headdress surprisingly staying on his head without much trouble as he answered, "It would be best, but no, I don't think it's your _only_ hope just yet." Forte looked up, attention firm. "A Rosicrucian is all but bound to the church, making it a class nearly specializing in Healing. I'm not sure how well they would be able to restore a _robot's_ soul, but I _do_ know that they would at least try. A Dragon Knight is also extremely skilled in Healing. Either one would at least try to help you. If they couldn't do it, I'm sure they could direct you to someone else."   
"Really?" The human nodded.   
"There is a large church in the city of Khana almost due north of here, three days worth of travelling if you're on foot. You'll likely find a Rosicrucian there. Dragon Knights, however, usually reside in the mountains, which are five days to the southeast. The mountains are further away, but north is getting into troll territory."   
"Thank you, sir," Forte said, tension leaving his shoulders. After a brief moment of silence, he looked up and asked, "How's Elec Man doing?"   
The High Priest's expression brightened a little as he replied, smiling, "Oh, he's doing great. Much better than when he first came here."   
"How did he go blind? Last I remember, he could see perfectly."   
"It was his handicap for being a Myrmidon." Forte winced and nodded. He had forgotten that a Myrmidon's powers, once realized and used, would eventually give the Myrmidon a handicap of sorts. It always varied between deafness, blindness, or crippling, although no one was ever sure as to _why_ they were handicapped when the more powerful Mage Classes were not. "He was blind when I found him."   
Forte blinked. "Found him?"   
The High Priest nodded. "He was curled up in some bushes just behind the church, filthy and terrified. I was taking a walk when I found him."   
Forte blinked again, then drawled, "Well...no offense, but I'm almost surprised you helped him, considering whose side he was on at the time..."   
"None taken. He just seemed so helpless sitting there shivering and looking around at nothing that I couldn't leave him there. And admittedly, he didn't seem much of a threat since he couldn't see where to aim and attack." The High Priest shook his head. "Everyone else is still hesitant and withdrawn around him."   
"I can imagine. Where did that sceptre come from?"   
"It's a holy sceptre, said to be blessed by Anubis, himself. It can increase the success rate of Healing, but no human has been able to utilize its powers because it was created by technology. I brought it out just last year and let Elec Man walk with it for a few days to see what would happen if a robot held it and tested its powers instead of a human. His Healing powers improved as did his confidence in himself, and one of the strangest, yet miraculous, things happened...he said that with it, he could almost see again." Forte blinked. "I'm guessing that it is Anubis' power from the sceptre bonding with him, Anubis' grandchild, so to speak. He said that he can't see colors or details -- mostly shapes and outlines -- but it's better than nothing. I didn't have the heart to take it away from him."   
Forte nodded and spoke as he stood up from his chair, "As long as he's okay...it's absolute hell living at Wily's place. None of us were treated well by any stretch of the imagination, especially him, so I'm glad he's doing okay." The High Priest nodded, standing up to escort Forte back to the sanctuary. "And thanks for helping."   
"You're more than welcome."

* * * * * 

Forte blinked at the sight greeting him as he re-entered the sanctuary. Elec Man glanced up, Rock leaning against him, head resting on Elec Man's shoulder as he slept soundly. Forte shook his head, stepping forward as Elec Man asked, "Do you have a place to stay for the night? If not, you can stay in my room."   
Forte shook his head, answering, "Nah, we've got some money for the inn. And I'd better get him there so he can get a good night's rest." Elec Man nodded.   
"Yeah, that'd be best." Forte slid his arm under Rock's knees, his other arm resting behind Rock's back as he picked him up with ease. Elec Man stood up, sceptre clutched tightly in his left hand. "Was the High Priest any help?"   
"He sure was," Forte answered, shifting Rock in his arms so that he would not be quite so awkward, "Tell him I said 'thank you', again." Elec Man nodded and grinned weakly.   
"Don't be strangers." Forte could not resist returning the grin.   
"We'll try not to be. Good night, Elec Man."   
"Good night."   
Their silhouette was all Elec Man could see through the eyes of the sceptre as they left the cathedral. A solid black shape against a background of grey and silver. The shape was solid, but their auras were different. The auras were the only way he could tell people apart in the dark world before him other than differences in size and shape. Elec Man knew his own aura was a dark yellow. Forte's aura was a powdery lavender color, streaked with sparks of gold, and Rock's was cobalt blue. The color of purity, but also of sadness.   
He watched them as they disappeared into the night and whispered, "...and good luck..." 

_"Heart of Sword"_ -- T. M. Revolution   
"Rurouni Kenshin"   


Notes:

GAAAAAAAAH!! I am _SO_ sorry this took so long to get out! I was battling constant depression for over a month, and every time I looked at ANY of my stories, I got even MORE depressed! GAAAAH! I'M SORRY! *wails* Hopefully chapter 4 won't take NEARLY this long! *dies* 


	5. EC 4: Journey

Electrical Communication

_Chapter Four_   
_Journey_

The night faded away and was replaced by a dull, but brightening, light as the moon disappeared in the east and the sun rose in the west, warding the moon away so that it could shine upon the ground again. Birds flitted across the sky and from tree to tree and bush to bush in the dull, morning light. Dew clung to the grass and flowers, making the leaves and blossoms droop from the added weight.   
Soft dirt was crushed underfoot, still moist from the other night's downpour, leaving footprints in their wake as Rock and Forte slowly walked along the dirt road leading north. After Forte had explained their situation, they had decided that morning that they needed to reach a Rosicrucian or Dragon Knight as soon as possible, and thus decided to take the northern path to Khana despite the danger of the trolls' territory. Trolls were primitive creatures, anyway, as Forte had pointed out when Rock questioned the wisdom of that decision, and he noted that they were also known to be cowards, backing down if their enemies were stronger than them as opposed to centaurs and elves who would fight to the death no matter what the situation.   
No farmers lived north of Ivona and none were planning on travelling to Khana for several days, so Forte and Rock were on foot for the whole journey.   
"If that village had been a little bigger, we probably could have rented some horses..." Rock pointed out, yawning. The silence that hung between them since they had left Ivona several hours past had begun to annoy him, and he felt compelled to break it somehow.   
"Yeah," Forte yawned in response. Rock stuck his tongue out at the fact that the conversation had ended so soon and thought for another topic.   
"Pity Elec Man couldn't come with us," he finally spoke after a moment. Forte shrugged.   
"He probably wouldn't feel right on the road again. I imagine even with that sceptre to help him see, getting around is still a challenge for him. He probably feels like a fifth wheel even around there."   
"It's still a shame he couldn't come with us. I didn't get much of a chance to talk to him..."   
"Well, if we're in the area again, we'll spend a day or two there, okay?" Rock nodded then looked back to the ground as they walked onward, trying to think of another topic of discussion.   
A thought sparked in the back of his mind, and he looked back up at Forte as he asked, "Forte?" Forte glanced at him. "You said that the Scions might have been Anubis' revenge against the other gods for winning the 'contest'...that means he likely gave them their overwhelming technology afterwards, right?" Forte blinked, but nodded.   
"Most likely, yeah. Why?"   
"Well...doesn't that mean that the Scions started out basicly as just supersmart humans without anything to use their overdeveloped brains on?" Forte nearly choked at the description, but nodded.   
"Yeah...but he had the other gods test his Scions, give them riddles and stuff like that to prove that they were much smarter than Sekhmet intended humans to be. She was outraged, and Anubis immediately lost the contest. Plus, Sekhmet saw that he was punished severely for 'tainting' her creations with his 'abominations'. I think his punishment was to be whipped by Sekhmet from head to foot every day for centuries, all of his wounds healing nearly immediately so that he was in eternal pain." Forte shook his head.   
"Well...from my understanding, Horus eventually relieved Anubis of his punishment, and Anubis attempted to make up for his mistake in angering Sekhmet, creating the demigods to take care of Hesparia for Horus, Sekhmet, and Isis when they didn't feel like doing it themselves. Undine and Sylph were the demigods of water and wind, keeping the oceans calm or stirring up hurricanes to terrorize the humans when Isis was angry with Sekhmet. Salamander and Gnome were the demigods of fire and earth, keeping the land healthy or setting up fiery explosions in volcanos to ashen the air and disturb the weather if Horus was angry with Isis.   
"Hel is the demigoddess of the dead, claiming anything and everything she sees fit -- plants, animals, humans -- and returning them to the soil to begin the cycle of life over again, and Iduna is the opposite of Hel, creating new life where Hel destroys it. Freyr and Nott are the demigods of day and night, racing each other around Hesparia as the sun and moon at the exact same speed, always on exact, opposite ends of the planet. Thagos and Pathos are the demigods of war and justice, Thagos causing battles -- most meaningless -- and Pathos solving them. And, finally, there are Ullr and Ostara, demigods of winter and summer. Both side with one of the demigods of death and life -- Ullr with Hel and Ostara with Iduna -- Ullr causing a temporary death for two seasons, and Ostara reviving everything again for two more seasons.   
"It's believed that Thagos grew rebellious against the gods or became anxious for a conflict, and began the Reign of Wily by causing Wily to lose his mind in a way. Another theory was that Horus ordered Thagos to do it, curious as to exactly what the Scions were capable of." Forte shrugged. "For all anyone knows, Wily could have just been like that to begin with, or he fell and hit his head and it knocked a few screws loose." Forte blinked at Rock who merely watched him, attention fully captured like a child being read a bedtime story and waiting for the storyteller to continue and say what happened to the heroes as they fought their enemies. "I'm boring the hell out of you, aren't I?" Rock merely shook his head.   
"Well...it's believed that when they aren't required to do anything for the gods, the demigods rest by taking unknowing hosts. Or they'll take hosts in order to perform a task easily -- or put a challenge into it. Or just for the hell of things." Forte shrugged. "Personally, I think that part of the legends are a little far-fetched, but there are a lot of people who believe in it." Rock slowly nodded, staying quiet for a few moments before looking up and finally speaking.   
"Why is it that most robots can use magic and sometimes be put into different Mage Classes when Scions can't use magic at all?" Rock asked, "I never understood that."   
"Honestly, neither do I," Forte answered, "But I've heard several theories on it. Sometimes I wonder if Centaur Man thought about anything but mythology and similar stuff." He shook his head. "Personally, my favorite is the theory that Isis figured out that most robots were useful -- moreso than Scions -- or she just took a liking to us and gave us the ability to become Mages despite Sekhmet's firm belief that we're freaks of nature."   
Forte cut himself off and blinked, glancing around. "When did we get to the forest?"   
Rock took his turn to blink and survey their surroundings. "...I...wasn't paying attention..." he admitted sheepishly, embarrassed to admit how fascinated he had been with Forte's storytelling. Trees surrounded them on all sides, the dirt road cutting smoothly through the vegetation, the mouth of the forest almost out of sight behind them.   
"...we're going to have to keep quiet and aware from here on in," Forte muttered, "The forest was the start of troll territory." With those words, Solandri was out and extended, ready to be ignited when needed. Rock nodded and everything was silent as they continued. Rock's vision kept darting to the dense treeline on either side of the road, searching for any foreign movement like a well-trained soldier in a potential battlefield. With a powdery blue glow, his white clothing was gone and replaced with his armor, left hand already transformed into an arm cannon. Squirrels darted across the path and birds sang in the distance. A small breeze whispered through the trees, the leaves moving with it ever so slightly.   
The space between Rock's shoulders suddenly began to itch, and he knew that they were being watched. He could feel the eyes on them, feel the murderous intentions. He placed a hand on Forte's arm, and the two stopped at the silent command. Rock had survived ten years of batting Dr. Wily by using those instincts, and Forte was not about to question him.   
A deer suddenly fled and Rock's arm snapped up, firing heavenward. The smell of charred flesh followed a hideous scream just before the trolls leapt down from the trees. There were a dozen of the haggard creatures, not including the charred and limp form that had been unfortunate enough to take Rock's first shots. Their green and brown skin blended well with the foliage, red or gold eyes dim from lack of intelligence. Drool snaked down to the ground from yellowed teeth, sharp as knives.   
Forte threw back his head and cackled, the trolls drawing back slightly, hissing. "Oh, please!" Forte snickered as he looked back down to the creatures surrounding them, green suddenly clawing at the edges of his gold irises, "Trolls really are stupid."   
The trolls attacked first, leaping forward and swinging their claws. Solandri's scythe ignited and arced upwards, taking a troll's arm with it. Rock spun around, firing at the two trolls that had tried to leap onto his back. One hopped away unscathed, but the other was not so lucky, its skin bursting into flames with a screeching howl of agony. Forte's laughter rang throughout the forest as he easily dodged every bite and rake of claws. It had been so long since he had been in a decent fight he had forgotten the thrill and how incredibly fun it could be. To be able to let the bloodthirsty beast that was Dr. Wily's programming loose and roam free to start a bloodbath. Green engulfed his gold irises and he was temporarily lost in the carnage, drunk on the adrenhaline rush, senses heightened by the smell of blood and burning flesh.   
Rock was busy concentrating on warding away the foul creatures, firing warning shots when they were too close before actually trying to hit them. He silently wished that his Master Weapons had not vanished shortly after he had defeated Dr. Wily at the edn of each miniature war. _I sure could use the Metal Blade or Rain Flush... _Both had been two of his favorites, especially the Rain Flush as it could damage every robot in Rock's line of sight, yet he could also control what it hit mentally, shielding any of his friends or the landscape from the acid rain.   
Something warm and sticky splashed against his back, and he jumped with a small yelp, reaching back to wipe at his armor, his hand coming back slippery with blood. At first he panicked, thinking he had let his guard down and allowed the trolls to injure dhim, but he turned around to see the blood's owner slide slowly to the ground, the troll's blood bubbling on Solandri's trident blade.   
The remainder of the trolls -- all two of them -- snarled, stepping back and away from the two robots, the smell of their dead brothers' blood clinging to the air. Rock swore. They still had not given up, he realized as one began to throw back its head and howl for the rest of its clan.   
The cry died in its throat as it looked back down, its companion sniffing the air. With a howl and a whimper, they disappeared into the trees. The burnt and mutilated bodies of the rest of the trolls lay strewn about the pathway, some missing arms or legs, some missing heads, others smoking and flaking.   
"That was fun!" Forte snickered, gold bleeding back through and replacing the green in his irises.   
"I don't like it..." Rock muttered.   
"Aww..." Forte sniffed, trying to look insulted, "You always were a pacifist..."   
"No, I mean that they left so suddenly. They were about to call for reinforcements, but they left. And it wasn't us that scared them off." Forte blinked, coherence now fully shining in his coppery-gold eyes as he nodded, listening and looking for what might have scared the trolls away. He rolled his eyes upward. The sun was hiding behind dense clouds, the forest suddenly crawling with a thick blanket of shadows.   
_Shadows..._   
Forte spun around and tackled Rock to the ground, pinning him down as a deafening boom sounded and Forte felt something fly over him, centimeters from his back. Rock's eyes widened and Forte glanced to his left, cringing at the sight of what had come so close to cleaving Rock in two.   
The solid black blade slid cleanly out of the tree trunk it had landed in, floating up and back to its owner. It was solid black. No light was reflected at all -- rather, it was absorbed like in a black hole. Forte growled as he watched it float back across the path and Blues stepped from the shadows to retrieve it. When the blade was an inch from his face it diffused, turning into a cloud of smoke which was drawn -- no, sucked into his visor -- his eyes.   
"You're getting slow, Cobra," Blues spoke, and Forte's hackles rose at being called the pet name Dr. Wily had used during his "disciplinary" -- also known as torture -- sessions. Forte loathed the nickname, just as he knew Elec Man despised his pet name of "Lightning Rod".   
"Refuse to give up, don't you, Wily?" Forte snarled.   
"Of course, although I'm almost glad he missed. This is certainly a very lovely sight," Blues -- Dr. Wily -- replied, grinning. Heat crept up Rock's face, and he squirmed underneath Forte as his brain -- as well as other areas -- relized what a compromising position they had ended up in. Forte slowly got off of him, too slowly for Rock's embarrassment to handle, face flushing even as he stood to face Blues as well. "However," Blues continued, "All that aside, this is where you die."   
Rock and Forte dove in opposite directions as Blues fired his arm cannon, the plasma energy crackling with darkness, black as pitch. Solandri's scythe swung downwards, tearing open Blues' shoulder -- the same one that had just been repaired, if Forte remembered correctly. Blues glanced down at the wound, then back up at Forte.   
"You like pissing me off, don't you?"   
Forte howled in a mix of surprise and pain as he was blown back by an explosion of darkness energy. He thrust his hands behind him to slow his landing as his back smashed into the the trunk of a tree, his head snapping back to meet the wood as well. His vision danced with splashes of red, white, and black as he slid to the ground, the world swimming around him. He vaguely heard Rock call his name, but could not bring himself to answer. Sounds of a futile battle barely registered in his mind while he struggled to stay conscious and stop the world's constant spinning.   
Rock stumbled to his feet from where he had been thrown as well and ran towards Forte, skidding to a stop as Blues appeared between them. Rock glanced warily at his brother as he attempted to get around him, hoping to get to his wounded friend. To his dismay, Blues copied his every move and stayed between them.   
"Get out of the way..." Rock grunted. He did not expect Blues to listen, but he had to try. Blues ignored him, crouching like a panther.   
Rock darted forward, but quickly sprung away as Blues lunged to meet him. He scrambled back, kicking up dirt and grass, before coming to a halt. He scowled, frusterated. However, he could not shake the nagging feeling that something was wrong.   
"Why isn't Blues attacking me...?" he muttered, eyes narrowing, "It doesn't make sense--"   
Rock yelped as Blues took advantage of his musing, rushing forward to tackle him. Rock and Blues crashed to the ground in a heap, the two brothers struggling against one other. "What are you doing?!" Rock demanded as Blues sat on his legs, reaching to secure his wrists.   
"I thought that was obvious," was the simple reply.   
Rock blinked, then squirmed as Blues grabbed both of his wrists in one hand and held them in a vice-like grip. "Obvious...?" Rock muttered.   
Blues did not respond. Instead, he began to work off Rock's codpiece. Rock's eyes widened as he realized what Dr. Wily had intended to do to him. "_No!_" Rock howled, trying to kick Blues off of him. However, Blues was a lot heavier than he looked. He easily kept Rock pinned, grinning as he worked. "No...!" Rock gasped, attempting to move his hips away from Blues. "I don't want this...!" he whimpered.   
"I don't recall asking you," Blues replied.   
Finally, the world ceased spinning, and Forte looked up. Rock struggled to get Blues off of him, his attempts in vain as Blues pinned his wrists to the ground above his head and used his knee to nudge Rock's legs apart.   
Red engulfed Forte's gold eyes.   
Blues was jerked upwards and flung away, his blood bubbling and steaming on Solandri's scythe and gushing from the hole through his stomach and back. Rock let out a cry, unsure whether he should help his brother or hide behind Forte. Blues stood, not acknowledging the pain as his blood poured down his torso and legs to pool onto the ground and mingle with the trolls' blood, circuits sparking and blaring warnings.   
Forte snarled, grip tightening on Solandri, shaking with rage, "Try that again, Wily, and the next time I see you, I'm chopping it off!" Blues took several steps back until his foot touched the shadows of the trees. The shadows slid along his body and he melted into them until he vanished, retreating.   
"Th-Thank you..." Rock whispered, shakily standing up. Forte slowly lowered Solandri, extiguishing her blades and retracting her.   
"...are you okay?" he asked, taking slow, deep breaths to calm himself, concentrating hard on it as the red softened and turned to orange before very slowly returning to gold, traces of orange still in his gold irises.   
Rock nodded. "Y-Yeah...just a little shaken up..."   
"We'd better get going again...before those trolls bring back reinforcements and before Dr. Wily sends someone else in Blues' place." Rock nodded again, covering his nose and mouth as he finally noticed how much the trolls' bodies were already starting to stink, especially the burnt ones. He pressed the button on his helmet, and his armor disappeared, leaving him in his white clothing once more. He blinked as a thought crossed his mind and turned to Forte.   
"What ever happened to your armor?"   
Forte blinked, caught off guard by the question. He turned around to face Rock, finally tearing his glaring gaze from the area where Blues had disappeared. "It's at home in a closet somewhere. I disabled the recall when I tore up my arm cannons." Rock blinked.   
"Tore them up?" Forte tucked Solandri in the waistband of his pants and held out his left arm, pulling open a small panel on the underside of his wrist. Wires dangled inside, torn and having stopped sparking long ago, preventing his arm from transforming into an arm cannon.   
"Right arm's the same way," Forte muttered, closing the panel and continuing at Rock's puzzled and alarmed look, "I just tore up the wiring that made my arm cannons work, so nothing else is damaged, if that's what you're about to say." Rock rubbed the back of his neck and looked away, embarrassed. Forte pulled Solandri out again and started back down the pathway. "Let's go. The sooner we get out of the forest, the better, and I think there's a village on the other side. Might be best if we don't stop until we get there."   
Rock nodded and followed him as the sun finally became visible from behind the clouds again and scavengers slowly emerged from the shadows of the trees to feast on what the two robots had left behind.

_"Journey"_ -- Hidaka Noriko   
"Rurouni Kenshin" 


	6. EC 5: 4 the Future

Electrical Communication

_Chapter Five_   
_4 the Future_

The sun shone high in the sky as Rock and Forte continued trudging through the forest, long yawns escaping them and their feet dragging. The forest seemed to have no end. They had walked throughout the night, stopping only to rest their feet, not wanting to stop to rest lest Dr. Wily send someone else after them in Blues' place or another pack of trolls attacked while they were resting. Also, Forte did not want to risk going to sleep. Being blown into the tree had given him a minor concussion, black waves swimming over his vision every now and again. He had not told Rock, but the way he staggered every twenty minutes or so had more than likely clued Rock in.   
"How much farther _is_ it?" Rock demanded, his question ending in a long, loud yawn. His body had grown accustomed to sleeping after the last two nights, no longer used to staying up for fourty-eight or even seventy-two hours straight at a time. Keeping his eyes open was growing harder and harder.   
"Not too much farther..." Forte yawned in response, Solandri dragging behind him unceremoniously, "I think I can see the path coming out of the trees just ahead." Rock grumbled.   
"That's what you said two times before, and it was just a clearing."   
Forte sulked.   
"...make you a bet." Forte blinked at him. "Race you there, and if I get to the edge first and the village is on the other side, I'll buy you supper at the most expensive restaurant we can find when we get to Khana."   
"...and if I get there first and it _isn't_ the village?"   
Rock grinned mischievously. "You kiss my boots!"   
"You're on."   
Tired legs screamed in protest, but the two ignored their aching muscles as they broke from their loping gait into a fast sprint, the still soaked dirt squishing and splashing underneath their boots as they ran towards the opening in the treeline. The pathway stopped abruptly at the edge of the clearing, giving way to a gently sloping plain of grass leading down into a shallow, thirty-foot-deep basin, a tiny village nestled comfortably at the bottom of the basin.   
Rock was the first out of the treeline and attempted to stop, but dew-slick grass combined with the mud on his boots conspired to defy the laws of physics, making him slip, crashing onto his back and sent rolling down the hill with a loud yowl. Had Forte seen exactly what had happened he would have avoided it, but in the end he completely copied Rock and followed the older robot tumbling down the wall of the basin, Solandri following much slower.   
Rock came to a painful, crashing stop twenty feet from the edge of the village, on his stomach and cringing. Forte landed right beside him and was promptly hit on the head by Solandri. Both robots stayed where they had stopped, either unable to move or not wanting to. They remained like that for several moments, staring ahead stupidly at the tiny village.   
"...well...you were right about the village being here..."   
"I still get fed at Khana, right?"   
"Yeah, yeah..." 

* * * * * 

"We finally find a village, and it's a ghost town..." Forte grumbled as he and Rock limped through the quiet, empty, dirt lanes through the village. All of the houses were empty, as well as the market and the inn.   
"No...everyone left here in a hurry," Rock answered, "There are still clothes out on the lines, food still on the tables inside...what is today, anyway? Is it Endweek? They could all be at church."   
Forte shook his head. "No, that's still three days away, unless I hit my head too hard on the trip down the hill..." The "trip" down the hillside had not done his concussion any good, vision blurring and swimming more often now. He had already stumbled twice, once which had nearly sent him to the ground. Rock had caught him, but Forte could only hope that there was a Healer in town. Or, at least, an herbalist.   
"Well, let's check it out, anyway." Forte nodded, and the two began searching for the church.   
The church was much smaller than the one in Ivona; honoring only Sekhmet, Horus, and Isis, the head of Anubis' statuette having been destroyed long past -- probably at the beginning of the Reign of Wily. It was also crowded. Everyone in the entire village was gathered in the church, some clustered near the doors and windows so they could hear what was happening inside while they tended to small packs of dogs and horses outside. The dogs tugged on their leashes, growling and sniffing the ground, some leaping in the air in anticipation of something. The horses grazed alongside the church peacefully, saddled and bridled.   
"Excuse me?" Rock spoke as he and Forte drew closer to the church. One man looked up after repremanding the two greyhounds and poodle on his dog leashes. Rock cleared his throat before asking, "Um...we just got here, and we're a little confused...what's going on?"   
"You chose a bit of a bad time to show up," the human answered, his poodle barking and howling as it tugged against its leash, "There was a monster in the village just this morning." The greyhounds tugged at their leashes as well, but remained silent. It was one of the characteristics Rock found intriguing about greyhounds. Unless antagonized, they never barked.   
"Trolls?" Forte asked, crossing his arms. The human shook his head.   
"Trolls know better than to come into the village. No, this was worse...first time we've seen one in years." He shook his head again. "The village is mounting a hunting party to kill it. The mayor and High Priest are discussing who's going where and distributing the dogs and horses now."   
"Well, we can help," Rock spoke up. Forte glanced at him, but said nothing.   
The villager shook his head. "Nah; this isn't your problem. You don't want to trouble yourselves with our problems."   
"It's no trouble," Rock responded, "I insist." Forte crossed his arms, uncertain as to whether he should be frustrated or impressed; frustrated because his head was killing him and Rock was insisting upon helping people he did not even know, but impressed because Rock, indeed, was offering his help, temporarily forgetting the fact that they had been in a rush to find a Rosicrucian or Dragon Knight so that he could help the village.   
"How can we repay you?" came a voice as the doors to the church opened, the mayor of the village stepping outside, the rest of the villagers behind him.   
Rock shook his head. "That's not necessary. But my friend needs a Healer." He looked to Forte. "He's got a bit of a concussion, and it got worse when we...uh...dropped in." Forte turned his head, hiding a grin with his hand.   
The mayor glanced at Forte and replied, "Our village doesn't have a Healer, but we _do_ have a good herbalist who can weaken the symptoms a little."   
"That's as good as anything right about now..." Forte muttered, shaking his head to dispell growing cobwebs. The mayor nodded and turned back to the villagers behind him.   
"Everyone explain what we decided on to the people who were out here and get everyone divided up while I see to these two young men and explain our situation to them. No one is to leave until I say so," he all but commanded. Everyone nodded, and Rock and Forte were lead into the church. 

* * * * * 

"It came this morning," the mayor explained as Forte slowly drank a mug of an herbal drink the village's herbalist had concocted. Aside from the fact that it tasted suspiciously like dirt-covered apples, it was not too bad. "And it had a partner. When our High Priest noticed what it was, we chased it out of the village. We managed to get it into the woods a good ways, but we lost it, so we regrouped here in the church and brought out the dogs and horses."   
"So you're going to hunt it down and kill it," Rock confirmed. The mayor nodded.   
"If I may, can I ask if you two would split up? We will have four groups of ten comb the woods to the northeast, northwest, southeast, and southwest of the villages. The northeast and southeast groups won't be too far apart, so that they can help each other if one group finds the monster; same goes for the northwest and southwest groups."   
Forte finished drinking and set the cup down on one of the pews, thankful that his vision was no longer as cloudy as it had been before as he spoke, "I'll take the northwest group."   
Rock nodded and said, "I'll take the southwest group."   
"Do you want to take any dogs with you?" the mayor asked. Rock and Forte exchanged a glance. 

* * * * * 

"_Get back here_!!" Forte snapped as he, once again, lost his hold on the leash of the black poodle he had been "assigned" with. The multi-colored greyhound seemed to persist in trying to dislocate Forte's shoulder with its constant tugging and trying to get away and follow its poodle counterpart. "You lousy mongrels!" Forte snarled, "Didn't anyone teach you some damned _obedience_?! ARGH!" He swore loudly as the poodle disappeared from sight, shortly followed by the greyhound. "...bastard mutts..."   
_Perfect..._ he growled inwardly, _I'm in the middle of troll-infested -- and who knows what else-infested -- woods with no dogs, a concussion, and I lost the group I was assigned to almost an hour ago. I really suck._   
He sat down on a large rock, and sulked, hoping he could find his way back to the village before dark. He whistled futily for the dogs -- _What were their names again...?_ -- and stood back up. He yelped and stumbled forward as black waves swam over his vision, catching himself on an oak sapling before he crashed to the ground. _Shit...that stuff sure didn't last long..._ He shook his head and righted himself carefully, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand. _This is pointless...I'm not going to be able to find the monster at this rate, so I'd better go back. Probably would have helped if one of us had thought to ask someone exactly what the monster was..._   
He shook his head again and turned to start back, but froze, blinking. The surrounding woods was completely unfamiliar and in black and white, no color visible anymore. A wash of panic flooded him as he briefly took it as a sign that his concussion had grown worse, but suddenly his surroundings seemed to move, and he noticed that while there was no color, everything was sharper, more clear than it had been previously. Something stuck out from his face, and he raised his hand to try to figure out what it was.   
The surroundings moved again, and Forte jumped, nearly slapping himself. He could not see his hand, nor the rest of himself, he realized as he looked down, on the verge of panic.   
Suddenly, something black moved in front of him, and Forte blinked. The poodle looked back at him, tongue lolling out as it stared at him, almost waiting.   
_Oh, shit...I'm hallucinating...that crap I drank didn't help the symptoms; it made them worse!_   
The poodle barked at him, but there was no sound. Forte blinked when the thing in front of his face moved in response. His eyes narrowed. Now that he got a better look at it, it looked suspiciously like a muzzle -- the greyhound's muzzle.   
_...what the hell...?_   
The surroundings swung around to a "glorious" view of the greyhound's hindquarters as it nipped at an itch. The greyhound's hindquarters. Forte paled as it dawned on him, as if someone had flipped a switch.   
The greyhound's eyes. He was seeing through the greyhound's eyes.   
_How...?_   
An idea sparked in the back of his mind and he tested it, issuing a silent command to the greyhound. The greyhound obeyed, jumping forward and nipping the poodle's tail who jumped around and snapped back. Forte was not sure whether to be amazed or disturbed.   
He remembered overhearing Dr. Wily grumbling to himself three years past about one of his robots failing realizing the Mage Class he had made certain it was assigned. He had been very angry about it, as well, though Forte had never been able to figure out who it might have been until now. Why had he not realized it before? He had been the only member of Dr. Wily's ranks who had received a companion; a wolf, no less.   
_ Beastmaster...of all the irony..._   
"Forte?"   
Forte jumped and everything suddenly blurred back to normal as if someone had pulled a lever. Everything was in color again, and the surrounding woods were familiar, the oak sapling he had caught himself on earlier standing out among the larger trees and shorter shrubs. Forte looked down at himself, seeing out of his own eyes again. He rubbed his eyes with the backs of his hands and opened them again, everything still the way it was supposed to be.   
"Forte?" Forte glanced over his shoulder to see Rock standing behind him, expression confused and worried. "Are you okay?"   
"Y-Yeah..." Forte answered, shaking his head and turning to face Rock.   
"Are you sure?" Rock asked, "You were staring at nothing for almost ten minutes..."   
Forte rubbed the back of his neck, unsure whether he should tell Rock or not. He decided "not" and answered, "Just my concussion acting up...the remedy that guy gave me didn't help much..." Rock winced. Forte glanced at him, then blinked and looked around. "Did you lose your group, too?" Rock cringed.   
"Yeah...and my horse..._and_ my dogs..." Rock sulked.   
"...okay, I can understand the group and the dogs...but how the hell did you lose your horse?"   
Rock sulked again. "Sue me! I've never ridden a horse before!" It took iron will for Forte to keep himself from falling over laughing. "It suddenly stopped to eat something, and I kept kicking to get it to go somewhere, and I ended up kicking too hard the last time, and it took off, dumping me out of the saddle..." Forte had to try harder to keep himself from laughing. Rock just glared at him.   
"Let's head back to the village..." Rock muttered in a desperate attempt to change the subject, to which Forte grinned, but nodded.   
Rock started past him, leading the way to the village. Just as he began to pass, Forte lashed out, grabbing Rock by the arm and asking as he scanned the area with his eyes, "What was that?"   
Rock blinked. "What was what?" he asked, "I didn't hear anything--" He cut himself off as he heard it. A rustle in the bushes. The two stood still, listening and watching their surroundings for whatever might have made the noise. It sounded again, closer this time. Rock whispered, ready to recall his armor, "Maybe it's one of the other groups..."   
Forte shook his head, slowly pulling Solandri free of the waistband of his pants as he replied, "Whatever it is, it's alone. And it's not a horse or one of the dogs. They'd make more noise. It's stalking."   
"Thanks for reassuring me."   
"No prob--" Forte froze as something slid out of the bushes to his left and stared at him. "...oh _shit_..."   
A giant, white chicken's head stared at him, grey beak sharp enough to cut through even the best armor, reptilian eyes unblinking. It was at least as tall as Forte, probably taller, he reasoned. Forte knew that, behind the bushes, the rest of its body was large and grotesque. It was all he could do not to look into its eyes, the supernatural pull hard to ignore, and he knew that if he locked eyes with it, he would be a statue fit to be placed in a castle courtyard for pigeons to relieve themselves on.   
"What?" Rock asked, glancing over his shoulder. His eyes widened, and he immediately looked away as the monster turned its gaze to him. "What do we do?" Rock whispered harshly, fighting the horrid urge to look the creature in the eyes.   
The cockatrice screeched.   
"_RUN!!_"   
Dust and fallen leaves were kicked up into the cockatrice's face, making it screech again and hiss before tearing out of the bushes and chasing after the fleeing robots as they ran deeper into the forest. Bat-like wings flapped as long, nearly ostrich-like legs powered the cockatrice's sprinting through the trees, long, barbed reptilian tail acting as a rudder to prevent it from crashing into a tree.   
Rock and Forte dodged through the trees, putting a little distance between themselves to confuse the monster, but staying close enough so that they could see each other. Forte leapt and grabbed hold of a low tree branch to swing over a large bush in his way. Rock jumped over a small boulder. A screech from the cockatrice sent a second surge of artificial adrenaline through their systems, and they tried to run faster despite their aching muscles and joints. Forte's vision blurred and washed over with black waves from his concussion and nearly sent him into a tree several times, but he managed to keep running, Rock just a little farther than him. Forte whistled and motioned with his hand, and the two swerved, turning to their left, knowing that the cockatrice would have to slow to make the turn.   
Rock's legs screamed at him and his heart pounded against his chest as if it would burst free of his ribs, lungs burning. His pace unwillingly slowed slightly as his system began to run out of adrenaline fuel. A brief flash of crimson through the bushes ahead caught his eye, but was pushed to the back of his mind as the cockatrice's pounding footsteps reached his ears.   
The duo tore through the bushes ahead only to crash into something, hitting the ground with a series of loud shrieks and groans. Behind them, the cockatrice skidded to a stop before the area, just out of sight. It watched them for a moment before snorting, folding its wings, and turning around, calmly leaving.   
Forte hissed, pushing himself to his knees and rubbing his head, "Ow...shit..."   
Rock muttered, sitting up as well, "You can say that again..."   
"Ow...shit..."   
Rock glared at him. "I was kidding." Forte blinked.   
"I didn't say that," he responded. Rock took his turn to blink.   
"I did," came a pained voice behind them. Both turned around.   
Floored on the grass were two men -- robots, Rock realized quickly. One was tall -- taller than Forte -- and wore red armor with a large, red chestplate and a yellow symbol on it along with a short, pink cape and long sash with a rose-colored cross embroidered on it. His helmet was also red with a large, gold 'V' decorating it, and his eyes were blue-green, the color of the ocean.   
Strapped to the back of his armor was a large, gold boomerang, emblems of dragons and wyverns etched into the metal, the creatures flying, twisting through the air, breathing fire, all carved in such intricate detail, it was astonishing.   
The second robot wore only brown slacks, a white shirt, and a beige vest, short light brown hair dusty from the collision, deep malachite green eyes shining in the sunlight filtered through the forest canopy. Two ring-like discs were hooked onto his belt on either side of his hips and twin long knives were strapped to his forearms, ready to be drawn.   
Forte stared at them for a moment before stammering, "...Quick Man...? Ring Man?!"   
Quick Man looked up, blinking as he spoke, "Forte? Rock?"   
Ring Man just shrieked and glomped Forte.   
"Where the hell have you been?" Ring Man demanded, punching Forte in the shoulder, "We found your house a few weeks ago, but you weren't there."   
Forte shrugged and answered, "I was probably in Ivona getting supplies." Rock just blinked, glancing back and forth between each member of the trio in front of him, unsure whether he should be concerned or not. Forte noticed his confused expression and stated, "Oh, sorry Rock. Quick Man and Ring Man are on our side. They escaped Wily not long before Elec Man did." Rock nodded, still cautious.   
_The last time I saw them, they were trying to kill me..._   
"Speaking of which, what happened?" Forte asked, turning back to Ring Man, "I thought Cossack broke you out."   
"He did," Ring Man replied, "But after Wily stopped searching for us, I started travelling on my own and met up with Quick Man."   
"By the way..." Quick Man spoke, "What were you two running from?" Forte and Rock blinked, then jumped with a sharp yelp, spinning around on their knees to face the section of forest they had emerged from.   
Forte blinked when he could not find the cockatrice through the trees and shrubs, eyes narrowing as he asked Rock, "...do you think we lost it?"   
"Must have..." Rock muttered in response, "Even though it was hot on our tails...I don't see how we could have lost it..."   
"Well, I'm not complaining," Forte remarked, sitting back on his knees, arms crossed.   
"Must have lost what?" Ring Man asked. Rock and Forte blinked and turned back to them.   
"Oh, sorry..." Rock apologized, explaining, "We were helping a village nearby hunt for a monster that spooked them this morning and got ambushed by a cockatrice." He looked at Forte. "That had to have been the monster that the villagers were ranting about."   
Ring Man exchanged a glance with Quick Man before clearing his throat and correcting, "Actually, no it wasn't." Rock and Forte blinked at him. "It was a bigger monster. Worse than a cockatrice." Rock blinked again as he noticed the dark cloud that suddenly passed over Ring Man's face when he said those words and the nearly admonishing glance Quick Man gave the green-eyed robot. Looking closer, he realized that Ring Man's skin was pale -- not just pale, but a sickly pale -- and there were fairly dark circles under his eyes.   
_He's so sick..._ Rock thought, eyes narrowing, _What in the world could he have? There aren't many viruses that can affect us..._   
"Worse than a cockatrice?" Forte repeated, blinking, "Not much is worse than that..."   
"This place must be a breeding ground for monsters..." Rock muttered, "Trolls...cockatrices...what could it have been to get the villages so spooked?"   
"What are you two doing in this area, anyway?" Quick Man asked abruptly, quickly changing the subject, "And together, no less." He grinned teasingly. "Of all partners either of you could have chosen to travel with, the last I would have thought of would be each other." Forte stuck his tongue out at the crimson Robot Master.   
"I've figured out how Wily is controlling Blues," Forte answered, "And I'm helping Rock find someone who can help." Ring Man blinked, shifting into a more comfortable position on the ground as he listened intently.   
"How _is_ he controlling Blues?" he asked, "It's common knowledge that Blues is his slave, but I don't think anyone's been able to figure out how."   
Forte answered, crossing his arms, "Well, it's my theory that Wily ripped Blues' soul free from his body and has it encased somewhere in the fortress. Without his soul, Blues is just a mindless zombie completely controlled by Wily or whoever has a hold of his soul." Quick Man and Ring Man nodded slowly, agreeing that it was the only possible explanation. "We've already talked to Elec Man and the High Priest of Ivona...they couldn't help, so we're headed to Khana to find a Rosicrucian or a Dragon Knight." Quick Man and Ring Man blinked and choked, nearly falling over as they howled with laughter. Rock and Forte blinked.   
"...what's so funny?" Rock asked.   
"Just the sheer _irony_!" Ring Man cackled, taking deep breaths to try to calm himself before looking straight at the other two robots and stating, grinning, "I'm a Dragon Knight, and he's a Rosicrucian." Rock and Forte nearly fell over.   
"You'd think the pink cross would have tipped you off on _me_, at least," Quick Man snickered, waving around the end of his sash and the cross embroidered on the end.   
"I now feel like a total idiot," Forte muttered.   
Ring Man cleared his throat and conveyed, rubbing the back of his neck as the grin faded from his face, "Well, that's the good news...the bad news is that you're talking about completely restoring Blues' soul -- putting it back in his body. We may be good healers, but that's beyond our expertise. Any Dragon Knight's or Rosicrucian's expertise, actually..." Forte glowered and Rock slumped.   
Quick Man nodded and added, "I think your best bet at this point is a Healer. They tend to know absolutely nothing _but_ white Magic. There's bound to be several in Khana, so you might as well stay on your path going there." Ring Man nodded.   
"And we were headed there anyway..." he added, shrugging, "So why don't we travel together until then?" Rock and Forte exchanged a glance and nodded, agreeing that it would likely be best. All four stood up, but Forte stumbled, almost crashing into Quick Man who caught him with a small yelp.   
"Hey, what's wrong?" the crimson Robot Master asked, helping Forte steady himself.   
"Ugh..." Forte grumbled, rubbing his eyes as his vision blurred with black squiggles and waves, "We got into a fight with Blues sometime yesterday afternoon...he blew me into a tree, and I've got a bit of a concussion because of it."   
"And then we kinda fell down a hill which made it worse," Rock added, crossing his arms, "And _then_ we crashed into both of you which probably made it even worse."   
Forte glowered, "I'll be fine. I just wish that idiot herbalist's remedy had lasted longer...but I'll be okay--"   
"No, you won't," Ring Man all but snapped in response, stepping up and looking Forte straight in the eyes, "I can tell; your eyes are glassy and your pupils are taking up most of your irises. You're lucky you're not bleeding in your head." Forte blinked.   
"I didn't think it was _that_ bad..." he muttered, yipping slightly when Quick Man pushed him back down, making him sit on a small boulder.   
"I can Heal it so that it'll recover faster and it won't be nearly as dangerous," the crimson Robot Master stated, walking around behind Forte who nodded. "You've been Healed before, haven't you?"   
"Yeah...by Star Man when Wily was too lazy to repair me."   
"Okay. Then you know what you're in for..." Forte just nodded and closed his eyes as Quick Man covered his eyes, forehead, and cheeks with his hands and closed his own eyes. As Ring Man and Rock watched, Quick Man breathed deeply for a few moments as he invoked the Healing trance. A blue-green haze surrounded his hands and Forte cried out, jumping slightly but forcing himself to sit still, gripping the rock he sat on so tightly that the stone began to crack underneath his grip.   
"What's wrong?" Rock asked, whispering so as not to distract Quick Man whose breathing became heavier as the haze around his hands darkened and his eyes squeezed shut.   
"While Healing does help recover from injuries, it tends to hurt like hell in the process," Ring Man answered, leaning against a small tree -- almost sagging against it, Rock quietly noted.   
"Why...?"   
"Well, it depends on the injury. If it's a broken bone, the Healing realigns the bone, grinding it to make sure it's in place properly and twisting some of the muscles in the process. If it's clawmarks or other types of gashes, then the Healing is stretching the muscle and skin to mend together temporarily until it finishes healing by itself. Basicly, it's just speeding up the body's healing process." Rock nodded. It made sense.   
The haze left Quick Man's hands, and he pulled them away, opening his eyes as he asked, "Better?"   
Forte opened his eyes and blinked, looking around for a moment before answering, "A _lot_ better. I'm still a bit light headed, but it's a lot better than it was. Thanks, Quick Man."   
"No problem." Quick Man crossed his arms. "We'd best get a move on." He glanced at Ring Man covertly. "Before the...cockatrice decides to come back. If we're lucky, we should be able to get out of the forest before sundown." Rock and Forte nodded. "I'll take point. Rock and Ring Man stay behind me."   
"I'll watch our backs," Forte volunteered, extending Solandri, but not igniting her just yet. Quick Man lead the way through the trees, using his large boomerang -- Kai -- to chop off low branches and trim back overgrown shrubs, but only where need be. Forte followed at the rear, keeping an eye and ear open for the cockatrice or any other dangerous monsters.   
Rock slid up to walk beside Ring Man and asked quietly, "What's wrong?" Ring Man blinked at him, confused. "You're so sick. What is it? There aren't enough viruses that can affect us for you to be this sick."   
Ring Man forced a small smile as he answered, "Oh, it's just something I...picked up a few villages back. It's nothing."   
"Can't you or Quick Man Heal it?" Rock asked. Ring Man just shook his head. Rock blinked, but let the subject go when it was obvious that Ring Man was not going to give any more information on his illness. Instead, he opted to help Forte listen for any foreign sounds as the sun reached its apex in the sky.   
He quietly hoped the rest of the day would be relatively uneventful. 

_"4 the Future"_ -- Hayashibara Megumi / Matsumoto Yasunori / Midorikawa Hikaru / Suzuki Masami   
"The Slayers"   



	7. EC 6: Angel Attack

Chapter Six Angel Attack

Chapter Six  
Angel Attack

"...no offense, you two, but you look like shit."  
Forte and Rock blinked and looked down at themselves, just then noticing the mud, dirt, and grass stains covering their clothes, much more prominent on Rock's once pure white clothing than on Forte's black and violet clothing. Rock blinked again, and muttered the only word he could think of.  
"...wow..."  
"Your butt's dirtier than the rest of you," Forte stated, "You look like someone just painted the seat of your pants black and green." Rock choked. Ring Man grinned.  
"Well, we know where _you're_ looking, don't we?" the green-eyed Robot Master voiced.  
"_HEY_!"  
"How is ol' Elec Man, anyway?" Quick Man asked idly as Forte chased Ring Man further down the path, throwing twigs at the smaller robot and trying to get him in a headlock, Rock deciding that he was content merely concentrating on not blushing. "Last time we saw him was about a month ago."  
"He's doing fine as far as I noticed..." Rock answered, his reply ending in a long yawn. He shook his head to disarray the growing cobwebs inside and looked up at Quick Man, asking, "How come you and Ring Man didn't stay and help the villagers, too?"  
Quick Man blinked, stammering slightly as he replied, "Um...w-we would have, but we've got a deadline to get to Khana and deliver a message to the mayor from Dr. Cossack." _Yeah...that sounds good..._ "If we weren't on such a tight schedule, we would have stayed." He shrugged.  
"Oh..." Rock rubbed the back of his neck. He looked ahead to see Ring Man and Forte still trying to get each other in a choke hold, and a thought crossed his mind. "Where's his dragon?"  
"Huh?"  
"Ring Man's. I've never heard of a Dragon Knight without a dragon."  
"Oh..." Quick Man rubbed the back of his neck and thought quickly before answering, "He just recently passed the Trials and was given the title. He hasn't been chosen by a dragon yet." Rock nodded, letting the subject drop as he yawned a second time. "Tired?"  
"Yeah...we haven't slept since the night before last," Rock answered, rubbing his eyes and yawning yet again.  
"Can you last until nightfall? We should be out of the forest by then." Rock nodded, then shivered as a chill suddenly crept down his spine. "What's wrong?"  
"I don't know..." Rock muttered, resisting the sudden urge to hug himself, "I've just suddenly got a bad feeling..."

* * * * *

"There. Finished. Now get up."  
Blues sat up and slid off of the metallic table without a word, not acknowledging the chill of the floor against his feet nor the cool air against his bare skin. His armor was lying on the floor at his feet, his scarf draped over the foot of the table, but he did not and would not reach for it unless told. The internal damage he had received was completely repaired, the skin and muscles left to heal on their own. He waited patiently, unmoving, for Dr. Wily to bandage the wounds.  
Reggae's beak curved upwards unnaturally into a beaming grin. It had been told to wait until after the repairs were finished to give its message, and the metallic raven was growing tired of waiting. It could not wait to see Dr. Wily's reaction to the news.  
Dr. Wily finished bandaging Blues and wiped his hands off on his once-white lab coat as he turned to Reggae and demanded, "Now...what did you see?"  
"See...see...what did I see...a light of hope where darkness should be..." the raven hissed, black wings flapping slowly. Long ago, it would have given a straight answer, but during the fifth war Flash Man had thought that reprogramming the squawking bird to speak in riddles would be a nice prank. He regretted it.  
"In other words, Rock's path has been made easier to travel..." Dr. Wily muttered with a half snarl, stroking his moustache thoughtfully. He had to admit that deciphering the riddles did not take much effort and could be amusing depending on the situation, but the fact that Flash Man had reprogrammed his bird without permission -- not that Dr. Wily would have given permission anyway -- had been unforgivable. "How so?" Dr. Wily asked.  
"The cobra stands poised to strike where ere your presence made it shudder in fright."  
"Forte has decided to finally stand up to me. I know that much."  
"A holy cross guards the whelp; no longer does he cry for help."  
"Quick Man finally shows his face again..."  
"Ordinary he was, but nevermore; with the full moon, he bellows a roar." Dr. Wily blinked._  
_ __Who...?  
"Slowed by sickness, he cannot fight; may you be clever and attack before night." Reggae let out a final crow and flew away to its perch on the other side of the room, message delivered.  
Dr. Wily stroked his chin, eyeing the now silent robotic bird. _'Ordinary he was, but nevermore'...who on Hesparia could that be?_ He glared at Reggae who flapped its wings and puffed up its metallic feathers, closing its eyes. Dr. Wily growled something. He had never before been unable to decipher any of Reggae's riddles. He shook his head and looked over his shoulder to Blues who still stood still, staring ahead at the wall. The Scion glanced Blues over as the silent Shadow Warrior stood still. He would wait until the end of time if needed and would not utter a word._  
_ _Forte and Rock should not be a problem...but Quick Man..._ Dr. Wily snarled inwardly. Rosicrucians and Shadow Warriors were near-mortal enemies. Quick Man and Blues -- before the Scion had captured Blues and put him under his control -- had been the only exceptions to the "rule" that the two Classes naturally hated each other, and even then, they had only tolerated each other. They were both strong and weak against each other. Skill was the only way to determine a winner in a fight between a Rosicrucian and a Shadow Warrior. The Rosicrucian's light could dispel the shadows, but the Shadow Warrior's darkness could choke out the holy flame. Dr. Wily could not be positive who would arise victorious in a battle between Blues and Quick Man. __I need someone to keep him busy while Blues fights the others...  
Dr. Wily turned to his main computer and typed in the proper coding to pull up the profiles of each of his Robot Masters. Even those who had escaped his control still had their profiles in his database just in case the Scion ever managed to regain his hold on them. Every Robot Master was covered in full detail --from his Mage Class to his elemental advantages and disadvantages to the specific spells he had mastered -- their profiles ready to pull up, except Metal Man's whose profile, when clicked on, would display a flashing "**RESTRICTED INFORMATION**" label and demand a password.  
Dr. Wily glanced through each profile he thought promising, mentally crossing out names and putting "checkmarks" beside the names of those who might be worthy of backing up Blues.  
After several moments, three names stood out, and a grin spread across the Scion's face just before he sent out a call throughout the fortress for the "Trio". They were a triumvirate, and the most powerful trio of Mages and fighters Dr. Wily still held in his grasp. One-on-one, they could not overpower Blues, but because of their link to each other, they were a force to be reckoned with.  
The Dragoon was the first to arrive, so quiet that Dr. Wily did not know he was there until he turned around to face the door. Blue and gold armor with its matching blue and gold, tri-spiked helmet, all recently polished, shone brilliantly even in the dim light of the room. His lance -- Ryuujin -- was held in careful hands, the metallic dragonette that twined its way around the shaft staring at the sharpened spearhead with emerald eyes just like its owner's, wings spread. Enker remained silent, waiting for the other two members of his triumvirate.  
Pharaoh Man and Magnet Man entered together as they always did, and the room suddenly seemed to be flooded with a chill that made Reggae huddle up in its feathers tighter as Pharaoh Man's, Magnet Man's, and Enker's energy mingled together, signifying their bond as a triumvirate. Pharaoh Man and Magnet Man were in armor, but without their helmets, Magnet Man's bright red hair spilling over his pale face and Pharaoh Man's pitch black hair barely getting in his gold, cat-like eyes, his helmet tucked under one arm.  
"You called?" Enker spoke in his soft baritone voice, ignoring the leers and perverted grins Pharaoh Man and Magnet Man were throwing at the still unclothed and oblivious Blues.  
"Yes," Dr. Wily answered, snapping his fingers to get Pharaoh Man's and Magnet Man's attention on him instead of Blues' waist, "I want the three of you to accompany Blues--"  
"With or without his armor?" Magnet Man snickered.  
"--to find and kill Rock, Forte, Quick Man, and whoever their other comrade is." The Scion glared at Magnet Man, who just grinned, orange eyes gleaming as he practically showed off his sharp, canine teeth. _He really does spend too much time transformed..._ Dr. Wily mentally muttered, but shoved the thought aside. As long as Magnet Man obeyed and could still do a good job, the Scion decided that he did not care.  
"Well, why didn't you save us all some trouble three years ago and capture Rock instead of Blues?" Pharaoh Man snorted, "Then you could have easily done to him what you did to Blues." Either he did not see the dangerous glare the Scion gave him, or he ignored it. "Face it; Blues may be an 'almighty' Shadow Warrior, but he sucks just as much as the rest of us against Rock." The Egyptian robot crossed his arms and snorted again. "Personally, I'd rather screw Blues than have Rock kick my ass from here to--" Pharaoh Man was cut off as an ethereal force smashed into the back of his head, sending him to the floor with a sharp yelp of pain. Dr. Wily snarled at him. Magnet Man gulped and took a small step back.  
Enker looked down at Pharaoh Man calmly and spoke, "You, sir, are the biggest idiot I have ever met."  
"_What_ was that, Pharaoh Man?" Dr. Wily snarled.  
"S-Sorry, sir..." Pharaoh Man hissed in apology, cringing as he pushed himself back to his feet, shrinking back from the angry Scion.  
Dr. Wily snapped, pointing at them, "You _will_ aid Blues this time, and if you don't like it, I have a few more jars in my quarters that could use filling." The Trio winced slightly, resisting the urge to clutch their chests at the thought of suffering the same fate as Blues. "Blues, get your armor back on and go with them," Dr. Wily commanded. Blues finally moved from his statue-like stance, bending down and slowly putting his armor back on. The Trio waited, silent so as not to invoke Dr. Wily's wrath again. "They're northeast of Noth in the forest south of Khana," Dr. Wily explained as Blues put on his scarf and helmet. "I expect you to at least _injure_ all of them. If you don't come back with blood on your weapons, I will be very upset." The Trio resisted the urge to shrink away. "Now go!"  
"Yes sir," they answered before turning around and leaving, Blues trailing behind them obediently.  
From its corner, Reggae snickered, its beak curving upwards in another grin. Dr. Wily glared at the robotic raven and demanded, "And just what is so funny?" Reggae grinned again.  
"The key to heaven begins to glow...to reveal itself for the dice throw..." the bird whispered before closing its eyes and slipping into stasis. Dr. Wily snarled.  
"Start making sense!"

* * * * *

"Whose stomach was that?" Rock asked, blinking. Quick Man, Forte, and Ring Man paused.  
"I think it was mine," Quick Man finally answered.  
"Where _are _we?" Forte asked, stopping and placing his hands on his hips as he looked around.  
The other three members of the group stopped as well and took their turn to glance around the forest floor and up into the canopy. "Well..." Ring Man muttered in response after a moment, "That's a very good question--" He cut himself off as he went into a coughing fit, nearly doubling over, his shoulders shaking with the ferocity of his coughs. Quick Man was at his side immediately, wrapping an arm around the smaller Robot Master and helping him straighten up so that he would not fall over as his knees nearly buckled underneath him. Rock and Forte winced, waiting until Ring Man had stopped coughing to ask if he was alright.  
"I'll be fine..." the green-eyed robot croaked, rubbing his face as Quick Man helped him steady himself. Rock started to say something, but stopped himself, opting to remain silent instead._  
_ __What on Hesparia could he have that made him so sick...?  
"Shh!" Forte suddenly hissed, holding up a hand and tilting his head to listen. Quick Man and Ring Man blinked at him and looked around. Forte quickly slipped Solandri into his hands and extended her, igniting her trident. Quick Man swore, pulling Kai free of his back.  
Rock whispered, recalling his armor, "What is it? Is the cockatrice back?"  
"Nope..." Quick Man hissed, "Worse." He spun around and threw Kai into the forest, listening to the almost wind-like sound as it cut through the air, sliced through low branches and saplings, and curved its path to fly back to him where he caught it effortlessly.  
"Almost got me, Quickie, but not quite!" came a chortle from the brush.  
Yellow, black, and eggshell-colored armor stood out against the greens and browns of the forest as Pharaoh Man stepped out from behind a large hickory, large, strong hands on his oddly slender hips, resting on the gold belt covered with hieroglyphics around his waist. His cowl-like helmet was yellow with black stripes like a bee's abdomen and thorax, golden eyes gleaming with malice and mischief.  
Magnet Man rounded the same tree on the opposite side, in a similar stance with his hands on his black cloth-covered hips, his dark red chestplate not quite matching his bright red hair, orange eyes glinting like flames dancing in a campfire.  
Forte spun around with a growl as Enker dropped down from the canopy behind Rock and Ring Man, almost pained upon seeing that Enker's dark green eyes were as dead and unfeeling as they had been three years past when the striped robot had last seen him. Blues slid free of the shadows gathered around a large oak tree. Quick Man swore. They were effectively surrounded.  
Ring Man stepped out from behind Quick Man to glare at his traitorous brother, Pharaoh Man, who just laughed. Magnet Man's grin faded as he caught a good glimpse at Ring Man, his hackles suddenly raising as he bared his almost canine teeth, a deep, animalistic snarl crawling from the back of his throat. He slid one leg back as he bent over and hunched his back, spreading his arms and hooking his fingers in a beastial show of malice. Ring Man returned the gesture by sliding his legs apart horizontally and arching his back, arms held down, fingers nearly touching the ground as he let out a long, reptilian hiss that humanoid vocal cords should not have been able to make.  
Pharaoh Man ignored the exchange, looking straight at Forte and Rock as he near-purred, "I'm sorry...but we can't let you go any farther."  
"Still bowing down to Wily like a dog, huh, Tut?" Quick Man hissed, grinning as he tightened his grip on Kai, the sharpened edge biting into his palm. Pharaoh Man snorted at Quick Man's pathetic attempt to insult him.  
"At least I'm not the coward running from Wily at every given opportunity like you, Speed," the Egyptian robot scoffed in response. Quick Man twitched at Dr. Wily's pet name for him which he had nearly forgotten. He never had been sure how to respond to it; whether to loathe and despise it like Elec Man and Forte, be insulted by it, or just plain fall over laughing at it. To compensate, he had opted to merely give no reaction.  
Forte started the battle by leaping at Blues, swinging Solandri in a diagonal arc. Blues, however, had grown wise to the move, leaping out of the way so as not to be damaged a third time in the same manner. Pharaoh Man and Quick Man threw themselves at each other, Quick Man trying to slice off Pharaoh Man's head with Kai and Pharaoh Man trying to grab Quick Man by the throat and strangle him, neither bothering to use their Magic since both were fire elemental -- Quick Man with his affinity to fire as a Rosicrucian and Pharaoh Man by having "mastered" the element and earning him the title of Force Master Gouka -- hellfire.  
Rock, remembering how he had defeated Enker before, rapidly fired at the blue and gold Rock Killer with his arm cannon, to which Enker instinctively spun Ryuujin, creating a makeshift shield. The downfall was that Ryuujin took the hits and, needing some place to disperse the energy, forced it into Enker's system, his arm burning from the tips of his fingers to the joint of his shoulder. When Rock paused, Enker pointed Ryuujin at him, channeling the gathered energy back through the lance and returning it to Rock who dodged easily. Enker swore, knowing that he could not keep that up much longer even as Rock began to fire again.  
Ring Man snarled as Magnet Man circled him, the red Robot Master's orange eyes brightening as his pupils slowly narrowed into slits, a wordless challenge. Ring Man crouched down, back arched and teeth bared, accepting the challenge. Magnet Man dropped down to the ground, sitting back on his haunches, hands clawing the ground. He grinned and proposed, his eyes almost glowing with anticipation, "To the air. First to be knocked to the ground wins."  
"And the prize?" Ring Man hissed, his voice a raspy whisper completely unlike what it had been earlier.  
"We leave you alone until after you reach Khana if you win..." Magnet Man answered, a deep, rumbling purr rolling from his throat as he spoke, "And if I win, I get you." The hungry, almost lustful glint in his orange eyes made his meaning clear. Ring Man threw his head back and released a bellowing roar, accepting the challenge and distracting the other combatants as they turned to see what had made such a horrific sound.  
Ring Man dropped to his haunches, back arching. Magnet Man dug his fingers into the ground, squeezing his eyes shut. Rock and Forte stared as the two Robot Masters' muscles almost seemed to convulse, skin shaking like something was moving just underneath it. Their teeth elongated into sharp, white daggers. Magnet Man released a howl as his skin turned blood red and sprouted a thick, coarse fur coat. His black body suit ripped as his legs and arms lengthened, and his boots tore as his feet turned into fur-covered, draconic claws. With an inhuman scream, his chestplate shattered, the rest of his body suit tearing to shreds as blood-covered, draconic wings pushed out of the mass of convulsing skin and fur that was his back. His face pushed out into a vulpine muzzle, ears sliding to the top of his head and turning black like a fox's. A long, fur- and blood-covered, serpentine tail tore from the base of his spine with a hideous sound of grinding bones and stretching tendons.  
Ring Man's skin turned brown and gold and became a mass of scales, his clothing shredding as his legs grew, twisted, and shifted to that of a dragon's, a long, scale- and blood-covered tail erupting from the base of his spine. His face contorted and shifted to a long-muzzled, draconic countenance, short, twin spikes sliding out of the back of his skull just above the start of his spine as his neck elongated to proportion with the sickening popping and cracking of bones and stretched muscles. His arms were the most grotesque change, hands twisting in inhumanly possible positions, fingers lengthening dramatically as a thick membrane filled the spaces between them, forming large, lean, leathery wings perfect for fast flight.  
The two shook off the remains of clothing and blood, threw back their heads, and each let loose a vocalization that sent chills through some of the other combatants' veins, Ring Man's cry a high-pitched, raptor-like scream, Magnet Man's a gross combination of a roar and a wolf's howl.  
Rock felt like throwing up at the grotesque display, pale as he looked over the end result. Magnet Man was covered in wet, blood red fur, powerful legs and hands flexing their claws as his fur-covered wings flapped slowly, tail lashing. He was at least seven feet tall now, a little over a foot taller than he had been before the transformation, vulpine face contorted to a malicious grin.  
Ring Man looked nothing like what he had before, save his solid malachite green eyes and brown body with its gold belly scales. He stood about ten feet tall now, small for a draconian, but large enough to carry two or three people comfortably on his back. The puddles of blood and a viscous, clear liquid at the feet of both changelings were slowly being soaked into the ground. Once again, Rock felt like throwing up even as Ring Man and Magnet Man roared again and took to the air with a few large flaps of their strong wings.

* * * * *

Dr. Wily shakily reached up and pulled off the visor he used to see and speak through Blues, eyes wide and face pale. His hands trembled from shock as he stared ahead at nothing. "'Ordinary he was...but nevermore'..." he whispered, "Lycanthrope...why didn't I see it sooner?!"  
"Blind you are; this I see," Reggae snickered, "If you seek heaven, you should listen to me." Dr. Wily glared at the robotic raven. "Victory is impossible in this game of chess; hide your queen now while she still has a chance."  
Dr. Wily snorted. "The fact that Ring Man is a lycanthrope doesn't make any difference. Magnet Man can handle him." He put the visor back on. "Even a werewyvern is no match for a weregargoyle."

* * * * *

Ring Man swooped down, claws raking the air like an eagle snatching a fish out of water. Magnet Man swerved in midair just in time to prevent the large claws from sinking into him. He shifted the position of his wings and swung around to circle behind his adversary. Ring Man snarled, trying to keep Magnet Man in his sight. Wyverns were small and built for speed, but even they did not match the unbelievable speed and strength of a gargoyle. Magnet Man new that and was using it to his full advantage.  
Once Magnet Man was back in his sight, Ring Man opened his mouth and released a high pitched, concentrated scream which nearly made Magnet Man's sensitive ears bleed. The opposing Robot Master howled in agony, hands flying to his head to try to block out the painful noise as Ring Man screamed again. Mind clouded with pain, Magnet Man's wings ceased flapping and he began dropping to the ground below, crashing through the canopy and nearly hitting the forest floor before coherent thought returned just enough for him to open his wings and fly back up through the tree branches, flight pattern now wavering.  
Enker's emerald green eyes were locked onto Ring Man, hands clutching Ryuujin tightly and shaking with rage. Unlike the other spectators of the fight, he saw not Ring Man in the sky, but another draconian, one that had haunted his dreams and conscience for five years.  
Blues tapped on his shoulder, making him spin around and nearly attack, coherent thought all but clouded over with fury. Blues looked at him, and then pointed past him. Enker followed Blues' gaze. Rock, Forte, Quick Man, and Pharaoh Man were busy watching the battle in the air, oblivious to anything else. Enker nodded, taking Blues' hint.  
Forte and Quick Man spun around at Rock's cry just in time to see Enker drag the smaller robot into the bushes. They started to run after them, but Forte was stopped by Blues, Quick Man by Pharaoh Man. "Get out of the way!" Forte snarled.  
"Yeah right," Pharaoh Man scoffed, and the fight began anew.  
Clawmarks decorated the side of Ring Man's neck, blood dripping from his throat plates to the trees below as he swerved out of the way of another dive. Ring Man released another scream to disorient Magnet Man before flapping his wings and flying higher into the air to get at a good altitude for a dive. He knew Magnet Man was just toying with him, not really caring what the outcome was unlike Ring Man, and the green-eyed Robot Master briefly wondered why he had agreed to such sordid conditions.  
Being the twisted Robot Master's bed slave was not how he had planned to spend the evening.

* * * * *

Rock yelped sharply as he was thrown into a tree, shoulder throbbing from the impact. He pushed himself away from the tree and attempted to scramble back to his feet only to receive a stiff kick to his stomach, doubling over and coughing. Now that some of the extra starch had been taken out of his captive, Enker hauled Rock back to his feet and resumed taking him further away from the battlefield. Rock squirmed as best he could, charging up his arm cannon.  
"_HELP_!!" Rock yelled at the top of his lungs.  
A sharp yelp escaped Enker's throat as the fully charged shot was released right into his stomach, knocking him backwards and onto his backside. Rock spun on his heel and bolted through the trees, unsure which direction was the right one to rejoin his comrades, but trusting his feet to take him to a safe location in order to fight his adversary.  
Enker growled, pushing himself to his feet and snatching up Ryuujin from the ground before running after the retreating form. A silent command opened two compartments in his back just as his knees buckled, his legs coiled, and he sprang into the air. Mechanical, blue and gold draconic wings unfolded from their compartments in his back as he quickly closed the distance between himself and Rock, landing with a rain of dirt, twigs, and fallen leaves just in front of the retreating robot. Rock skidded to a stop with a yelp just before a fist to the head sent him crashing into a large hickory, pain shooting from his right shoulder down to his lower spine.  
"Somebody, _help_!!" Rock cried again, charging up another shot as Enker lashed out to grab him by the throat._  
_ __Tseeeeer!!  
Both combatants froze, Enker with one hand on Rock's throat and the other pulled back ready to strike, Rock with one arm cannon ready to fire, his other hand on Enker's grasping at his throat. Rock, from his position all but pinned against the hickory, stared over Enker's shoulder, eyes growing wider and wider and color draining from his face. Enker slowly glanced over his shoulder, wings folding and retracting into his back now that they were not needed. He immediately regretted having looked.  
The two Rocs screamed again before folding their wings and diving, talons spread.

* * * * *

Pharaoh Man suddenly doubled over, clutching his stomach before falling to the ground, hissing in unseen pain. Magnet Man roared as he, too, folded over, hurtling around in midair for a brief moment before crashing to the forest floor.  
Quick Man blinked, dumbfounded. Forte and Blues stared, locked in midstruggle. Ring Man circled slowly from his vantage in the air, also confused. Pharaoh Man and Magnet Man shakily attempted to push themselves to their feet, both clutching their stomach or chest._  
_ _Enker..._ Forte finally realized, glancing back to the woods where he last saw the blue and gold robot, _Something happened to Enker..._ The only reason the two members of the Trio would have felt their Tria's pain was if an immense amount of damage had been inflicted or if he had been killed. __And something tells me, it wasn't Rock that did it.  
Fur disappeared and faded into sweat-covered skin, bright red hair matted, claw marks littering Magnet Man's arms and waist. He crawled to his feet, either not noticing his bareness or not caring -- Quick Man figured the latter -- glaring skyward at Ring Man as Pharaoh Man, too, got to his feet.  
Blues took two steps back, fading into the shadows once more, retreating. Pharaoh Man and Magnet Man gave Forte and Quick Man one final, defeated glare before bolting away into the bushes to search for their fallen Tria. Just as they disappeared, Rock stumbled into the area, panting and shaking, ocean-eyes wide as Forte and Quick Man ran over to him.  
"Rock, what happened?" Forte asked, dropping Solandri and grabbing Rock by the shoulders.  
"I-I swear...th-this place is a b-breeding ground for m-monsters!" Rock stammered.  
"What are you talking about?" Forte demanded, "What happened to Enker?"  
Rock took a deep breath to calm himself before answering, "He...He threw me into a tree...a-and I guess we disturbed the nest or something...I-I don't know why I wasn't attacked, but...he was attacked by Rocs--"  
"_Rocs_?!" Quick Man spoke, blinking as he strapped Kai to his back again, "Rocs shouldn't be in this area. They're native to montane regions, not forests."  
"Well, that's the only giant bird I can think of..." Rock muttered, "Other than a cockatrice, and those _weren't_ cockatrices..."  
Fallen leaves and dust were stirred by Ring Man's wings as he slowly lowered himself to the ground, blood dripping onto the soil from his neck and torso, decorating his gold belly and throat scales with crimson ribbons like those sent flying about through the air at a party. As Ring Man began to change back, Quick Man found his pack and began digging through it for a small blanket. Scales pulled away from pale blood- and sweat-covered skin, wings reverted back into humanoid hands and arms, tail seemingly sucked into the former Robot Master's spine. Ring Man was obscured by a bubble of wet, reptilian skin and scales which he weakly tore a hole through, shakily taking three steps towards Forte and Rock before sagging into Quick Man's awaiting arms, passing out.  
Quick Man wrapped the blanket around Ring Man and gathered the smaller robot into his arms without a word, expression unreadable. Forte glanced up at the sky, orange and pink beginning to tint it, the clouds turning lavender and red.  
"It's getting dark," he sighed, "We'd better camp out here..." Rock looked at him.  
"But...what if the Rocs...?" he started, trailing off.  
Quick Man answered, shifting Ring Man in his arms so that the smaller robot's head was not hanging back uncomfortably but, instead, resting on Quick Man's shoulder, "If they didn't come after you by now, they aren't going to, and Forte's right. It's getting dark and we all need to rest after that fight. And Ring Man's not going anywhere on his own until the morning." Rock nodded slowly, calming himself enough to see the wisdom in the decision. "I'll start clearing a spot for the camp if you two go find firewood." The two nodded and left without a word, leaving Quick Man to take care of his burden.

* * * * *

"Get...your hand...off my ass..." Enker attempted to growl, his voice coming out, instead, as a pained sigh.  
"No," Pharaoh Man countered as he slowly walked through the metal corridors of the Skull Fortress, "You can't walk, and the pressure of your stomach against my back is the only thing keeping you from losing your intestines. And it's kinda hard to keep a good grip on you like this when you've only got one leg." Enker snorted, an action which he regretted as it tightened his abdomen painfully, if only for a picosecond, blood seeping out of the large wound to further color Pharaoh Man's back crimson. His left leg from mid-thigh down was resting in Magnet Man's arms, as was Enker's right arm from the shoulder down. As well as his right foot and ankle. Enker resisted the urge to sigh, instead opting to merely hide his face in the back of Pharaoh Man's shoulder and let the pain guide him to blissful, painless unconsciousness.  
"You're using that as an excuse to feel him up, though, aren't you?" Magnet Man asked idly, unbothered by the cool air of the Fortress around his still bare skin, throwing perverted grins at passing Robot Masters when they gave them questioning glances.  
"You bet," was the answer, "This is the best opportunity I've ever had. He'd kill me under any other circumstances." Magnet Man just grinned.  
Dr. Wily looked up from repairing the little damage Blues had received as the two entered the room, blinking at the amount of damage Enker had sustained. "I see you found him...where was he?" the Scion asked.  
"All over the place," was the simple answer from both Robot Masters.  
Dr. Wily rolled his eyes, shooing Blues away so that the two members of the Trio could place Enker -- and his pieces -- onto the metal table to be repaired. "Did you find out what did it? Rock's too timid to do this kind of damage."  
"Rocs," Magnet Man answered, glancing over his blood-covered hands. Dr. Wily blinked. "Yeah, I know. Rocs are from the mountains."  
"My guess is that they nested in one of the larger trees," Pharaoh Man offered, ignoring Magnet Man as the Dua began to lick the blood from his hands, "And Enker disturbed the nest somehow." Dr. Wily shook his head.  
"Regardless, this is going to take forever to repair," the Scion grumbled.  
Pharaoh Man shrugged and turned to leave as he replied, "Well, if you need us for blood or anything, I'll be in my room with Mag--Maggie, he's not going to respond to anything you do, so stop feeling Blues up!"  
"Hey, I can try, can't I?" was the innocent response accompanied with a wide grin.  
Dr. Wily glared at them and barked, "Out. Both of you." The duo ran out, Magnet Man snickering to himself. Blues quietly walked over to his corner of the room to await the next time he was needed. Reggae snickered from its corner.  
"See...see...what do I see...an enemy of the future in front of thee," the bird scoffed. Dr. Wily ignored its rambling, engrossing himself in repairing Enker as soon as possible. Reggae grinned. "Ignore me, do you? It matters not," it whispered to itself, huddling up in its feathers and closing its eyes, "Listen to me, you will, when the fire grows hot."

* * * * *

The fire crackled and blazed anew as the reptilian skin Ring Man shed was thrown into the embers, a substance which would likely fuel the fire for most, if not for the rest, of the night. It had not smelled too inviting earlier when it was still fresh, but the heat of the fire as it burned the mixture of blood and a strange, clear, gelatinous liquid helped the scent to smell more like regular wood smoke than the fresh skin of an animal.  
Ring Man slept soundly close to the fire, wrapped comfortably in two blankets and a rolled up shirt being used as a makeshift pillow. The clawmarks on his neck and torso had already almost completely healed by the time Forte and Rock had returned with firewood much earlier, and were now barely visible as pink marks on pale skin. The insanely fast healing time was one of the few advantages of lycanthropy other than the obvious transformation ability and heightened senses and strength.  
Few words had been exchanged between the trio as camp had been set up, and even then they were mostly silent afterwards. There were two remaining blankets, and Quick Man had insisted that Rock and Forte both use them despite protests. Rock absently stoked the fire every few minutes while Forte tried not to burn the food Quick Man had passed around to cook. Quick Man was still making sure Ring Man was comfortable and that there were no persistent injuries, fussing over the sleeping robot like the worried mate of a coyote stuck in a trap, which, Rock decided, was actually almost what the two were.  
Finally satisfied with the arrangement, Quick Man sat down in front of the fire, completing the triangle around it between himself, Rock, and Forte. Silence still reigned, even as Forte quietly handed Quick Man and Rock the sticks on which the striped robot had been cooking their meat, impaling his own supper on a third stick and proceeding to cook it over the fire as well.  
Finally, after the other two had eaten and Forte was finally satisfied with how well cooked his own supper was, the striped robot glanced at Quick Man and spoke, "He's the 'monster' the villagers were screaming about, isn't he?" Quick Man merely nodded.  
Rock blinked, glancing back and forth between them before asking, "Huh? Ring Man...?"  
"Lycanthropes are hated and feared throughout the world, Rock," Forte clarified quietly, "Even though carrying the disease isn't their choice. The village's High Priest probably sensed what Ring Man was when they were passing through, and the villagers attacked them out of fear and hatred."  
Quick Man nodded, sighing, "Exactly." Rock blinked again, taken aback by the story.  
"But...they didn't do anything..." he argued, trying to make sense out of what he was being told.  
"They didn't have to," Forte responded, shaking his head, "All the villagers needed to know was that a lycanthrope was in their village."  
"Just because he transforms against his will once a month...?" It was unfathomable. Rock could not comprehend someone hating another person -- even a robot -- for something they had no control over. It was like hating someone because they had different eye or skin color or because they did not worship Isis over Sekhmet or something similar. It made no sense.  
Forte nodded and looked at Quick Man. "How long has he been one?"  
"About nine months, now..." Quick Man answered, wearily rubbing his face, "Since we met back up." He shifted into a more comfortable position before the fire before continuing, "Yeah, we've been running from Wily for about four years, but we really only met back up about nine months ago in some village several months' travel away from here to the northeast. They were having trouble with monsters, and I stopped by to help. Turns out, Dr. Cossack had also sent Ring Man to help out." He looked up to the dark, star-filled sky. "It was a wyvern. Up in the mountains, flying down every few days and destroying the village's crops. Wyverns don't breathe fire like dragons, so it was actually sweeping down and ripping the plants from the ground with its talons. No real reason, so we guessed that it was mad, probably diseased.  
"We tried to kill it before it did too much damage, but it managed to all but tear Ring Man's arm off before I managed to slice its throat open and kill it. I'm serious, Ring Man's arm was hanging from his shoulder by just a few tendons and scraps of muscle and skin." Quick Man looked back down to his hands in his lap. "Between my Healing and Dr. Cossack's repairs, we managed to save Ring Man's arm and get him fully recovered within a month...just in time for his first full moon...then we learned what disease had made the wyvern insane." Forte nodded. He knew that wild creatures, when infected with lycanthropy, often went insane like a mad dog and attacked anything they could. No reason behind it. Just insanity. "Reptiles are generally the least contagious, but all that damage to Ring Man's arm..."  
Quick Man shook his head, taking a brief moment to pause and sigh before continuing, "Dr. Cossack was outraged. He disowned Ring Man the second he learned what had happened. Ring Man wanted to kill himself, but I stopped him...we've been travelling together ever since...Dr. Cossack refuses to admit that he created Ring Man. Just because Ring Man got his arm shredded..." The trio fell silent as Quick Man finished his explanation. No words could be spoken for several long moments.  
Rock glanced at Ring Man and the younger robot's pale skin before finally breaking the silence, asking, "Then why is he so sick?" Quick Man and Forte blinked at him. "Even I know that lycanthropes just _don't_ get sick. Not like that." He pointed at the still figure wrapped in blankets near the fire, pointing out the sheen of sweat and the smell of sickness that clung to the air around him. Quick Man's expression darkened.  
"Dragonsbane..." the Rosicrucian all but snarled, "He was poisoned with dragonsbane a few days ago in a tavern. Someone spiked his drink with it..." He glared at the fire. "I won't tell him this, but Dr. Cossack's the one who arranged it..." His friends' surprise was impossible to miss. "Not only did Dr. Cossack disown him, but ever since Ring Man became a lycanthrope, Cossack's been trying to kill him. Hiring people to act as lycanthrope-hating villagers and kill him with silver weapons. Ring Man knows it, but he just refuses to acknowledge the fact that his creator hates him and his disease that much..." Quick Man clasped his fists together, trembling with pent up rage and stress. "I found the bartender-in-training of that tavern the next day when we realized what had happened, and I got him to tell me that Dr. Cossack hired him..."  
"But..." Forte stammered, "Dragonsbane's..." He stared across the fire at Ring Man, a robot he had known all his life and who he was proud to call one of his best friends.  
"Extremely deadly to draconians..." Quick Man finished for the striped robot, "I know...he's been infected with it for about five days...if we don't find a Healer very, very soon, he..." Quick Man trailed off, his meaning crystal clear as he stared down at his hands in his lap.  
Rock stared at his two former enemies, two newfound friends, slowly shaking his head in disbelief. He had only truly met them, acquainted himself with them, a few hours past. To know that one might be gone forever so soon was having trouble registering in his mind. All because his creator could not accept a minor defect which did not modify Ring Man's personality, psyche, or quality of life in the least. Rock looked down to the ground, eyes narrowing. _Dr. Cossack...was my friend...Dr. Light's friend...how could he do that...to his own son...?_ The thought made him want to cry.  
Forte gently reached over, offering his hand which Quick Man took, squeezing. The striped robot knew how close the two Robot Masters were. Knew how deeply they cared for each other. He also knew that if Ring Man died, Quick Man would not be able to function properly without him and would likely kill himself or die of heartbreak. He knew Quick Man had survived almost four years of being without the younger Robot Master only because he had known that Ring Man was alive and well somewhere. However, now that they had finally found each other again, they were so close to losing themselves all over again, this time permanently. Dr. Cossack was killing two of Forte's best friends just because he could not accept Ring Man having to grow scales for one night once a month._  
_ __Dr. Cossack...you bastard...  
"G-Good night..." Quick Man stammered, pulling away and crawling over to the spot on the ground he had cleared for himself beside Ring Man, curling up beside his dying friend. Like Romeo lying down to die beside Juliet.  
Forte and Rock exchanged a glance, and one look said everything without words having to be spoken._  
_ __We're getting them to a Healer, if it's the last thing we do.

__

"Angel Attack" -- ??  
"Evangelion"

Notes:

Wow, this chapter was a nightmare to write. oO;; The fact that I was sick and _couldn't_ write for about a week didn't help, but the hardest part was that huge, sucky fight scene. @@;; Due to what happened Tuesday, the 11th, I was caught between putting up the new chapter or waiting about a week, but I decided that if reading this new chapter can distract people and put their minds on something else if only for ten minutes, I've done my job, and I hope none of my readers were directly affected by what happened. Some people just need to be shot.

Rock's theme -- _Midnight Blue_ / Hayashibara Megumi (http://www.animelyrics.com/anime/slayers/slmidblu.htm)  
Forte's theme -- _More Than Words_ / Midorikawa Hikaru (http://www.animelyrics.com/anime/slayers/slwords.htm)  
Blues' theme -- _Art of Life_ / X-Japan (http://www.animelyrics.com/jpop/xjapan/xjaolife.htm)  
Elec Man's theme -- _Call Me, Call Me_ / Steve Conte (http://www.animelyrics.com/anime/cbebop/cbcmcm.htm)  
Quick Man's theme -- _The Wind Rides On Wings_ / Yasuhiro Mizushima (http://animeworld.com/lyrics/wings.html)  
Ring Man's theme -- _Father of Mine_ / Everclear (http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/everclear/fatherofmine.html)  
Enker's theme -- _Before the War_ / Helloween (http://my.dreamwiz.com/imp0427/oathly.html#Before)


	8. EC 7: White Reflection

Chapter Seven  
White Reflection

"Rock, wake up."

Rock blinked his eyes open, squinting in the morning twilight, the sun probably not even peeking out over the horizon. Forte was making sure the campfire was completely extinguished as he finished packing Quick Man's backpack. Quick Man was all but panicking, helping Ring Man sit up as the changeling coughed uncontrollably, trembling.

"Ring Man's taken a turn for the worst," Forte stated as Rock got to his feet and helped him gather the blankets, "We've got to get to Khana as soon as possible." Rock cringed as Ring Man suddenly retched, throwing up blood. "If we leave now, we should make it to Khana before sundown as long as we don't get attacked again..." Rock nodded and helped Quick Man wrap a blanket around Ring Man's still bare form. The strong smell of sickness combined with sweat, blood, and artificial bile nearly made Rock gag. He and Quick Man tried to help Ring Man stand, but the green-eyed Robot Master's legs all but had the consistency of water, unable to support him and leaving Forte and Rock carrying the backpacks while Quick Man cradled Ring Man's limp form in his arms.

Forte walked in front, holding branches, vines, and shrubs out of Quick Man's way while Rock watched their backs. Birds flitted through the bushes, chirping short songs before scattering into the air when the group passed. Forte swatted at a wasp, accidentally releasing his grip on a tree branch he had been holding. Rock yelped sharply when it swung back and smacked him in the nose, knocking him back onto his rear end. Forte yelped and helped Rock to his feet, apologizing.

"It's okay," Rock responded, rubbing his sore nose.

"Are you okay?" Quick Man asked, to which Rock nodded.

"We need to hurry up..." Forte sighed, "There's no telling how far the edge of the forest is, and we need to get out of here before the sun gets too high." Rock and Quick Man nodded. They started off again, but after a few steps, Forte froze in midstep, gold eyes widening. Quick Man and Rock blinked at him as the striped robot slowly looked over his shoulder. "Oh _shit_..." Quick Man and Rock blinked again.

_Bzzzz..._

Rock and Quick Man paled.

"AAAAHHH!!!" all three robots screamed before bolting through the trees as fast as they could, the swarm of angry hornets right behind them.

* * * * *

Forte grumbled and swore.

Quick Man hissed and growled.

Rock just fell over.

Forte looked over his shoulder and glared at the forest several hundred meters behind them. The hornet swarm had chased the group out of the forest in around twenty minutes, something which would have taken them at least an hour normally. How they had escaped the swarm without getting stung, Forte wished he knew.

"I thought I was in better shape than this..." Rock muttered between gasps and pants as he lay sprawled out on the grass.

Forte and Quick Man sighed and sat down on either side of Rock, the group making an unspoken agreement to rest a moment and catch their breath.

"Shit...bumpy ride...what did I miss...?" Ring Man groaned, cracking open his eyes and blinking. Quick Man shifted him in his arms and crooned quietly as Ring Man began coughing raggedly.

"Shh...don't talk," Quick Man whispered, almost pleading, "Save your energy..."

"I-I don't mean to pry..." Rock spoke after a moment of hesitation, clearing his throat to draw the three former Wily-robots' attention toward him, "But...how did he get so much worse overnight...? He wasn't nearly this bad last night..."

"Transforming," Ring Man rasped, his voice holding barely a trace of the smooth tenor it had been the day before, "It...makes the dragonsbane...m-move through my blood...faster than normal..." His explanation ended with a ragged cough and a sigh as he sagged into Quick Man's arms, resting his head on the older robot's chestplate. Rock winced, wishing he had not said anything. Every action Ring Man did very likely drained away what little there was left of his life. He glanced up at the sky, powdery clouds beginning to decorate the lavender-blue expanse which was brightening now that the sun had risen, floating two hands above the horizon.

"Unless you two need a little longer to rest..." Quick Man spoke, glancing back and forth between Rock and Forte as Ring Man once again slipped into unconsciousness, "If we keep moving, we should make it to Khana before dark."

"Let's go," Rock responded, standing up. Forte nodded, helping Quick Man maintain his balance as they stood.

"If your arms are getting tired, I can carry him for a while," Forte offered.

Quick Man shook his head and declined, "No thanks...I'd...like to keep him as close to me as possible, if you don't mind...just in case we don't make it..." Forte nodded, understanding.

They walked at a quick but steady pace, almost side-by-side, Forte on Quick Man's right and Rock on his left. Silence reigned for hours, worry curling up into a nice little ball and settling in the pit of Rock's stomach. Several times Quick Man made them stop when Ring Man began coughing or throwing up or to check and make sure he was still breathing, but the stops were brief, all members of the group trying to make as much time as possible despite their protesting feet.

The sun had passed its peak in the sky and had begun to descend when Rock finally broke the silence, glancing over at Forte as he asked, "Can I ask you something? About Enker and them...?" Forte blinked, but nodded, walking around so that he was in the middle of the trio beside Rock so as to prevent having to talk around Quick Man. "How come they were so..._strong_...? Enker wasn't that strong when I last fought him -- though that was...like...six years ago..."

Forte stretched, choking back a yawn as he answered, "Wily had them become a triumvirate, combining their powers in a ritual so that they can draw upon each other when they need to or share each other's pain. Sometimes they can take pain away from another member of the triumvirate if they need to or want to." Forte winced as his back made a loud, wet pop in response to his stretching. "They're the first -- and only -- triumvirate in Wily's ranks...so they're usually called the Trio. Pharaoh Man's the strongest, so he's the Una, followed by Magnet Man -- the Dua -- and Enker -- the Tria."

"When did Magnet Man become a lycanthrope?" Rock had to ask.

"I honestly have _no_ idea..." Forte answered, rubbing the back of his neck before glancing up at Quick Man, "What about you?" Quick Man made an awkward shrug.

"Before yesterday, I always thought Burner Man was the only weregargoyle," the taller robot stated, "Maybe he got pissed at Magnet Man at some point."

"He always was trigger happy..." Forte muttered, "So I wouldn't be surprised..."

"And Magnet Man's a masochist, so he probably instigated it..." Quick Man muttered.

"A..._what_?" Rock choked.

Forte ran his fingers through his hair as he responded, "Magnet Man's a masochist...in a _bad_ way...he'd enjoy it if someone disemboweled him..." Rock stuck his tongue out at the thought. Forte glanced at Quick Man. "What I don't get is _how_ he could have become a weregargoyle without us knowing it...I mean, he formed the triumvirate before even _you_ escaped, and if he had become a lycanthrope afterwards, Pharaoh Man and Enker would have become one with him..." Quick Man shrugged awkwardly again.

"I always avoided him like the plague, so I dunno..." Quick Man shook his head.

Rock rubbed the back of his neck, looking back to the sky for a moment as they continued walking. He tilted his head, noticing how some of the clouds were almost making pictures in the vast blue expanse. One of the clouds almost looked like Forte in the armor he had discarded so long ago, twin-crested helmet unnaturally accented in the clouds. Rock tilted his head to the other side, noting that another cloud looked like Enker, accurate from the tri-spiked helmet to the cold, emotionless eyes. Rock blinked, then turned back to Forte.

"When Enker showed up, you looked sad...why?" he asked, almost slapping himself after finishing the question as he realized it was probably too personal.

However, Forte answered, "Oh, I knew him back before he became so cold and withdrawn and before he got tangled up with Pharaoh Man and Magnet Man." Forte shook his head. "He used to be a really nice guy. I can still remember how he'd brighten a whole room with that smile of his..." Rock blinked.

"What happened to him...?"

Forte glanced back at Quick Man. "Do you want to take this one? You know better than I do..." Quick Man nodded.

"He was...a member of a group consisting of seven Robot Masters...himself, Ballade, Punk, Gyro Man, Shadow Man, Cut Man, and...Quint," Quick Man explained, shifting Ring Man in his arms, either not noticing or choosing not to comment on how Rock's expression darkened at the mention of Gyro Man and Shadow Man, "He was betrayed by several members of his group...several times. Ballade raped him two or three times, and Cut Man and Shadow Man tricked him into nearly getting killed more times than I can count. All in the span of about two years. But he truly died on the inside when Quint went insane...

"Dr. Wily wanted them to capture a dragon pup he had his eyes on. He wanted to use it as a weapon against you -- you know it as the Mecha Dragon." Rock nodded, silent. "Well, it wasn't exactly a pup -- it was half grown when they found it. They caught it without any trouble...but it was insane from lycanthropy. And almost the exact same thing happened with Quint that happened with Ring Man..." Quick Man sighed. "I think we all know that dragons are the most powerful and magical creatures on Hesparia...Quint's mind couldn't handle the sudden overload of power. And he went completely and totally insane...he killed everyone in his group except Enker -- and even then, Enker escaped being killed only barely. Enker and Quint had been best friends...but when Quint's mind rotted away, Enker was forced to kill him.

"Enker hasn't smiled or laughed since."

Rock cringed, looking down at the ground. He had not known much of anything about Enker, and was now almost sorry he had asked, crossing his arms over his chest as he tried to resist the urge to hug himself.

"Hey..." Forte suddenly spoke, pushing himself up onto the tips of his toes, squinting as he stared at the horizon down the dirt pathway, "I can see Khana!" Spirits were immediately lifted and the pace was sped up as Freyr's descent to the ground started gaining speed, a blanket of dark blue clawing at the edges of the horizon as night began to overcome day.

* * * * *

Khana was a very large town. Cobblestone lanes decorated the ground, the buildings made of sandstone and marble, their roofs made of straw or wood. The main street was lined with horse-drawn carriages and wagons visiting the numerous shops and the open market, the street breaking off into two separate lanes as it reached the church at the end of the way. From there stretched the residential area, houses made of sandstone or wood lining the streets on either side, some with cats lying stretched out to capture the last rays of the sun on the railing of the walkway just a few feet above the street. Most houses had miniature stables between them, just large enough to house two, maybe three, horses overnight.

Forte ran up the marble steps to the cathedral and threw open the large door for Quick Man and Rock, startling the priests and Healers inside and making some of them jump. "Somebody's got to help our friend," Forte spoke, drawing the humans' attention, "He's poisoned very badly and he doesn't have much time left."

One Healer stepped forward, but yelped and backed away when he was a few feet from Ring Man, muttering, "Lycanthrope...!" A dull murmur passed over the other Healers and priests before they began backing away one-by-one.

"Take that thing out of here!"

"What makes you think you can bring such a monstrosity into this holy place?"

"By the gods, are you _insane_?"

Quick Man shivered, tightening his grip on Ring Man as he held the limp form close. Ring Man's breathing was ragged, panting, his face flushed from fever, eyes squeezed shut and rimmed with tears. That was it. This cathedral and its Healers were their last hope. Had Ring Man not had to transform the day before, he probably would have had about two more days of strength left. Quick Man squeezed his eyes shut.

_ I'm sorry, Angel..._

"How...can you _do_ that...?!" Rock suddenly demanded, almost snarling, "How can you turn your back on someone who needs you like that?!"

"He's a lycanthrope," someone answered, as if that explained everything.

"_So_?" Rock snapped in response, "Just because he's different from you doesn't mean he deserves to be shoved out the door like someone's garbage!"

"Rock..." Forte started, but could not bring himself to finish as he glanced around the room and noticed the glances the priests and Healers were exchanging, attention captured.

"If he was human, would you treat him any kinder?" Rock continued, "Would you actually consider helping him if he was _human_?" The humans looked thoughtful for a moment before most shook their heads. Even if Ring Man had been human, he would not have received aid. "Why? What would Sekhmet think?" The priests twitched, blinking. They had not thought of it that way. Rock glanced around briefly, noting that the statuettes and murals of Anubis had not been decimated, signifying that Anubis was still worshipped in Khana. "What will Anubis think of you indirectly killing his grandson?" The humans winced.

"Rock..." Quick Man spoke, catching Rock's attention and making him turn to face the younger robot, "It's no good...you won't change their minds..." Ocean-colored eyes were glazed over with held back tears as he cradled his dying counterpart, now sitting down on one of the pews. Rock opened his mouth to protest, but his words died in his throat and he sighed, stepping over to the former Robot Master and looking down at the dying changeling in his arms.

"...I'm sorry..." he whispered. Forte nodded.

"Not your fault..." Quick Man sighed.

"Actually..." Rock, Forte, and Quick Man looked up, blinking at a female Healer who had dared to venture close to them. She took a deep breath, let it out, and continued, "There..._is_ one Healer in the city...who will Heal anyone no matter who or what they are..."

* * * * *

The house was on the outskirts of the city, by the harbor where the view of the ocean was most spectacular. The building was two floors tall and made of a combination of sandstone and marble, the walkway outside and the small set of stairs leading up to the walkway also made of sandstone. A small, Bedlington terrier sat inside the house on the windowsill, its lamb-like body structure balancing on the edge of the windowsill almost unnaturally as it quietly watched the group of robots cautiously approaching the door.

Forte raised a hand to knock on the door.

The terrier disappeared from its perch on the windowsill, barking and howling and making Forte jump back at the unexpected noise. A chorus of other barks followed inside the house, some high-pitched like the terrier's, some deep, and the rest just plain _loud_. A cat hissed and yowled somewhere in the background.

"How loud did you knock?" Quick Man asked, staring at Forte.

"I haven't knocked yet!" Forte responded.

"AAAAGH!!" someone screamed from inside the house, "Shut _up_! I'm going, I'm _going_!! QUIET!!" The barking and meowing tapered off quickly, and the Bedlington terrier hopped back onto the windowsill, looking proud of itself. Forte and Quick Man blinked. That voice sounded awfully familiar...

The door opened.

"Yes? Can I help you?" he asked, rubbing his face wearily. Rock felt dwarfed. The Healer stood at at least six-foot-eight, soft blue eyes standing out even in the dim light of dusk, light brown bangs sliding down and hiding his left one. A dark brown, equine tail lashed behind him. He, Quick Man, and Forte stared at each other for a moment.

"Q-Quick Man...? Forte?"

"_Centaur Man_?!" they howled. Rock blinked. This was starting to get monotonous. How many Robot Masters _had_ escaped Dr. Wily?

"What are you doing here?" the three questioned, somehow asking in unison. "I'm asking _you_!" They glared at each other. "STOP THAT!!" Rock blinked again.

_ My head hurts..._ He shook his head and cleared his throat, catching the former Robot Masters' attention. "Excuse me," Rock said slowly, "Sorry to interrupt, but someone needs us."

Ring Man coughed.

A chorus of yelps followed as the trio practically slapped themselves and ushered themselves inside. Once the door was closed, Quick Man made short work of explaining Ring Man's ailment, and Centaur Man quickly ushered the two into a back room, leaving Rock and Forte alone in what could only be the living room of the house. Rock glanced around, blinking. Dogs lazed all over the room, some snoring, some with cats lying on their heads, and others nipping at their own tails. There were four Bedlington terriers -- three lying together on the floor, and the one in the window -- just a little smaller than the single Schnauzer lying by the fireplace. Two large poodles and two greyhounds were lying in a group by the fireplace as well, and a large, long-furred Afghan hound had confiscated one of the cushioned chairs. Five cats were spread here and there around the room, some resting on sleeping dogs' heads, and three ferrets bounced around in a single "clearing" in the floor as they played with each other.

"He sure does like animals, doesn't he?" Rock asked. Forte rubbed the back of his neck, taken slightly aback at the number of pets Centaur Man had accumulated in the past three years. All of the dogs were well-groomed, the Afghan hound's silver and grey fur glossy from recent brushing. After several long moments, Rock shrugged and knelt down, reaching out to pet the closest dog to him -- one of the terriers. The terrier glanced up at him with a yawn, blinking as Rock smiled down at it, scratching behind its ears. The terrier blinked again, then howled, leapt to its feet, and jumped into Rock's arms.

Unfortunately for Rock and Forte, that one bark caused a chain reaction.

The other three terriers and the Schnauzer leapt to their feet and ran at the two robots, all jealous of the first terrier and wanting attention, themselves. The poodles in turn decided that they wanted attention as well and hopped over to Forte in an attempt to draw the striped robot's attention to them. The greyhounds, jealous of their poodle counterparts, followed soon after, and the Afghan hound decided that it was more important than any of the other dogs and literally tackled Rock. The cats hissed as they were trampled by the dogs, turning the terriers' attention to them instead of the robots and beginning a chase around the room, cats leaping over furniture followed by terriers and running over the ferrets. The ferrets latched onto the dogs' tails and went along for the ride.

In short, the room became a scene of chaos.

"Did you _have_ to pet it?!" Forte howled as he was knocked to the floor by three terriers running after two cats between his legs. Rock would have made some sort of reply if he could, but he was busy being slobbered to death by the Afghan hound pinning him to the floor. Once Forte was on the floor as well, he was commandeered by the poodles, greyhounds, and Schnauzer.

A sharp, shrill whistle instantly ended the chaos, the cats disappearing, the terriers halting, the ferrets releasing their grips on the terriers, the Schnauzer, poodles, and greyhounds backing off of Forte, and the Afghan hound merely settling on top of Rock, not bothering to get up -- or let Rock up, for that matter.

Centaur Man crossed his arms and leaned against the wall of the hallway he had emerged from, looking down at the two dizzy (and slobber-soaked) robots on the floor. "You pet one of the Bedlingtons, didn't you?" he asked.

Rock gulped and stammered, "I...I...I didn't mean...I..."

Centaur Man grinned. "You pet one of the Bedlingtons, didn't you?" he repeated. Rock nodded, sheepish, his movement earning him another lick on the cheek from the Afghan hound.

"Ow..." Forte muttered, rolling over onto his hands and knees and rubbing his lower back before glancing up at Centaur Man, "Is Ring Man going to be okay?"

"Yeah," Centaur Man answered as he literally dragged his Afghan hound off of Rock, "He'll be okay, but he'll have to stay here for a while to regain his strength and make sure all of that crap gets out of his system. Had you gotten him here any later, he might not have made it. I'm going to give him and Quick Man a little time alone before I talk to them." He helped Rock and Forte to their feet before asking, "Can I ask something? Go ahead and sit down -- just shove the dogs aside."

Forte answered, choosing to remain standing while Rock dodged around several cats to sit on the sofa, "Sure; what is it?"

Centaur Man wrestled with the Afghan hound for a moment before winning the battle over the chair and sitting down, asking, "Were you headed here with them originally, or did you have something to do here separately?"

"We met them on the way here and helped them along," Forte answered, leaning against the arm of the couch and ignoring one of the Bedlington terriers as it pawed at his pants leg, "But yeah, we were headed here for something separate to begin with." He rubbed the back of his neck. "We've figured out how Wily is controlling Blues..." Centaur Man blinked, soft blue eyes surprised as he straightened in his chair, listening intently. If he knew that two of his cats were trying to attack his tail as it twitched on the cushion, he did not show it. "The only possible way he could have gained control of Blues is if he completely removed Blues' soul from his body. That way, he could order the body to do whatever he needed without his mind countering his orders...he wasn't the Soulgiver, so he can't destroy Blues' soul..." Forte looked up from the floor at the tall Robot Master. "Quick Man told us that maybe a Healer could reunite Blues with his soul."

Centaur Man nodded slowly, crossing his arms. One of the cats pounced on his tail only to be rewarded by getting its nose stung as the course hair of the equine tail lashed to the side. "It makes sense..." Centaur Man muttered in response, sighing, "But I can't help you." Rock cringed and looked down at the floor. "I'm sorry...but repairing and restoring souls are beyond me..."

"...s-so there's no hope now..." Rock muttered.

Centaur Man glanced down at the floor, then looked back up, gazing at both robots steadily as he stated, "There's one last alternative...and I'm almost positive this'll work." Rock straightened immediately. Forte stiffened, gripping the arm of the sofa tightly.

_ I know what you're going to say...don't you dare..._ he mentally growled.

Centaur Man looked straight at Rock and began, "At this point--"

_ Don't you dare..._

"--your only hope--"

_ Don't say it. Don't say it..._

"--is--"

_ Don't do this to me, Centaur Man. Don't DO this to me..._

"--a Blood Scylla."

_ DAMN you!_

"A Blood Scylla...?" Rock repeated, blinking. Centaur Man nodded.

"That Class is the only one that could pull it off," he clarified, ignoring the glare Forte was giving him behind Rock's back, "The only problem is that there are only two known in all of Hesparia..."

Rock looked down to the floor, then back up as he asked, "How do we find one of them...?"

A small, humorless grin spread across Centaur Man's face as he answered, "That's where you're in luck...one of the two lives in an abandoned castle about three days due east of here." Blue-green eyes lit up brightly with flames of determination and hope. "You can stay here tonight, but there's only two spare rooms...do you mind sharing the bed..?"

Forte shook his head, taking a deep breath to calm himself as he answered, "No...I don't mind." Rock shook his head to confirm that he did not mind, either.

"C-Can I ask something...?" Rock stammered, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. Centaur Man glanced at him. "U-Um...well...the last time I saw you, you had...well...you were kinda...half-horse...wh-what happened t-to your....um..."

"Equine half?" Centaur Man finished for him, grinning. Rock blushed slightly and looked down at his hands in his lap, nodding. Centaur Man leaned back in his chair, the two cats moving out from behind him and settling in his lap, purring loud enough to hear from the next room. "I can transform my body from the waist down to either the quadrapedal mode or the bipedal mode -- which I'm in now. Always have been able to. Bipedal is much less awkward, but quadrapedal is faster, so I use it when I need to get somewhere fast." Centaur Man shrugged, absently rubbing the cats behind their ears and making them purr louder. "I'm not sure how it works. I just know that I've always been able to do it." Rock nodded, satisfied with the explanation.

Forte poked Rock in the shoulder and grinned innocently as he asked, "What about that supper you promised me?" Rock nearly fell over.

He shook his head, unable to prevent himself from grinning as he turned back to Centaur Man and asked, "Do you know if there are any places to eat that are still open?"

Centaur Man nodded, answering, "Yeah, there's two that stay open until the moon's at its highest point. I hope you don't mind seafood, though, because that's just about the only kind of restaurant there _is_ in Khana. Both places are on the harbor just down the road. You can't miss 'em."

"Thanks," Rock responded, standing up and turning to Forte with a teasing grin, "Alright, let's go feed you, you black hole." Forte tried to look as innocent as he could, failing miserably. Centaur Man blinked.

"...you're not going like _that_, are you...?" Rock and Forte blinked. "You're covered in dirt, blood, grass stains, fur, and dog slobber." Both robots looked down at themselves, remembering that Quick Man had pointed that out the previous day.

"I can recall some clean clothes from the lab..." Rock muttered.

"No such luck for me," Forte spoke, rubbing the back of his head. Centaur Man stood up, the cats hopping down to the floor.

"You can borrow some of my clothes. They'll be a little big, but..." Forte shrugged.

"Okay."

* * * * *

"A little big" was an understatement, Forte realized as he stumbled down the lantern-lit lanes alongside Rock. _Some_how, he had forgotten that Centaur Man was a foot taller than him, and had to roll up the sleeves and pants legs of the clothes given to him in order to prevent from looking like a toddler who had decided to play "dress-up" in his father's closet.

Rock thought the sight was hilarious.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up..." Forte muttered, wishing he had a few pins to keep at least the pants legs rolled up to prevent himself from constantly tripping over them.

"I'm s-sorry..!" Rock stammered between laughs. Forte sulked. The good thing was that they both smelled a lot better now that they were out of their old, filthy clothes, though they would still have to bathe in the morning.

Moonlight danced on the dark blue depths of the ocean, shimmering on the water like white firelight from the radiance of the half-full moon. Stars dotted the sky like diamonds embedded in a dark blue cloth, most forming shapes. The salty breeze wafted from the Inner Sea and through the harbor, filling the quiet city with its calming scent. Most houses were dark save for the flicker of a candle deep within the bowels of the structure, the open-air markets closed for the night.

Rock walked over to one of the many wooden posts lining the harbor, leaning on the rope connecting one post to another and looking up at the stars. He tilted his head and pointed up to the sky at one particular cluster of stars before asking, "What does that one look like to you?"

Forte blinked, following his gaze and looking at the star shape for a moment before answering, "...it looks kind of like a dipper to me..."

"A dipper?"

"Yeah. You know, one of those things you use to draw water out of a bucket?"

Rock blinked and rubbed the back of his neck, responding sheepishly, "It...it looks like a bear to me..." Forte blinked.

"...a bear?" Rock nodded. "Where do see a _bear_?"

"Well..." Rock stammered, pointing, "There's the head...and the ears..." Forte shook his head.

"I don't see it." Rock stuck his tongue out at him and leaned back against the ropes, tilting his head.

_ ...I used to love going down to the beach every night back at the lab..._ he sighed inwardly, looking down at the water as it splashed up against the stones of the pier, _The sound of the surf would calm me down to the point that I nearly fell asleep...Roll would bring something to drink and eat...and sometimes Blues would show up with a blanket and hold me when I was cold..._

...Blues...

Something settled on his head, tearing him from his thoughts. He heard Forte choke back a laugh and blinked, rolling his eyes skyward. A seagull crowed down at him from its perch atop his head.

"Uh...hi?" Rock spoke. The seagull squawked and tried to rip part of Rock's hair out for its nest. "OW! HEY!!" Forte choked and waved at the seagull which took to the air, flapping its wings and flying in a small circle before flying away. Forte yelped sharply as he received a "present" from the bird on his left shoulder, growling and sticking his tongue out. Rock stared at the wet, white mess now covering Forte's shoulder. "...evil bird."

Forte grumbled and ripped off a piece of tarp from a drop cloth that had been discarded on one of the wooden posts on the pier, using that to wipe off as much of the bird poop as he could before it soaked into the fabric of his shirt. "You okay?" he asked as Rock rubbed his head, wincing.

"Yeah..." Rock muttered in response before grinning weakly, "At least it missed your hair." Forte stuck his tongue out at the thought.

Forte tossed the strip of tarp away -- not entirely satisfied with the cleaning, but convinced that it was the best he was going to do -- and reached up to gently run his fingers through Rock's hair as he stated, "Doesn't look like he got much." Rock nodded, hoping it was too dark for Forte to notice the light blush that had spread across his cheeks. Forte grinned innocently. "Food now?"

Rock slapped his arm, unable to keep himself from grinning as well as he answered, "Oh, fine."

One of the two restaurants Centaur Man had mentioned was nearby, facing an open area of the harbor where the moon glowed brightly upon the water, stars clearly visible from the table-lined patio. Candle flames flickered from their places upon the tables as the gentle, sea breeze blew through the city. A little girl about the age of ten skipped around between the tables, taking orders and balancing trays on her head. Rock glanced at Forte who shrugged, his expression clearly saying "You're buying; so where ever you want."

They sat across from each other at one of the round tables on the patio, amused as the little girl asked them how their order was spelled before giving them both a bright smile and running inside to relay the order. Rock sighed and leaned back in his chair, glancing back to his right at the harbor. Seagulls were flying about the piers, retreating to their nests to retire for the night. Their cries echoed through the harbor, mixing with the sound of the surf crashing against the piers and the hulls of the anchored boats, some of the smaller fishing boats contributing to the chorus with low creaks and groans of old wood as they bobbed up and down in the water.

"So..." Forte sighed, tearing Rock's attention away from the moonlight dancing on the sea water, "Once we rest up, we'll be headed east..." He looked down at the table. "...to find a Blood Scylla..." His expression darkened, eyes narrowing from just saying those words.

Rock paused, unsure whether he should ask or not before deciding that his curiosity was about to eat him alive. "What _is_ a...?" He trailed off as Forte suppressed a shiver.

"...it's the second strongest Mage Class...seconded only by the Shadow Warrior," he answered, "But only two have ever been known to exist..." He took a deep breath and slowly let it out. "...this one we're looking for...I knew him, Rock..." A chill crawled down his spine. "...and I'm not looking forward to meeting him again..."

"...I'm sorry..." Rock spoke, looking down at his lap.

"It's not your fault...it's just..." Forte sighed. "Because of him, the words 'Blood Scylla' give all of us chills...especially Elec Man..." He shook his head. "I'm sorry...if I'd known that this was going to end at _him_, I..."

"...I don't know what to say..." Rock responded, "I want to help, but..." He paused for a moment before glancing up. "...is it someone I know?"

Forte hesitated before answering, looking away, "...I'd say 'knew'...you probably won't recognize him, he's changed so much..."

"...like Blues?"

"...worse..."

* * * * *

_ ...what..._

...I'm still here...I'm injured...but he's repairing me...

...what...what is he...

...gods above...what is he doing_ to me...?!_

Help...please...don't make me hear...don't make me see...

Don't make me feel what he's doing to me...

...Rock...

Rock, please...

...save me...

  
"White Reflection" -- Two-Mix  
Gundam Wing

Author's notes: 

Dear...lord...

I have a DAMNED good excuse for this taking two months to write aside from the chapter being a nightmare. But I'm not going to clog up space here with my explanation. Look at my LiveJournal if you want my excuse (http://www.livejournal.com/users/nkfloofiepoof/).


	9. EC 8: Aoi Arashi Blue Storm

Chapter Eight  
Aoi Arashi / Blue Storm

A bellowing roar resounded throughout the forest, shaking the limbs of the trees, the ground vibrating. Leaves fell to the forest floor only to be kicked up into the air as he ran through the trees, trying to escape whatever was chasing him. The roar sounded again, and he thought he heard a laugh trailing behind it as the sound tapered off -- a female laugh.

Rock ran as fast as he could, dodging trees and jumping over bushes, hoping to outrun the presence behind him, but no matter how fast he ran or how much he weaved through the foliage, the presence always seemed to be snapping at his heels, laughing at his vain attempts to lose it.

"Rock!"

Rock yelped as he ran into something. He tried to leap backwards, but was restrained as strong arms encircled him, holding him close.

"Rock, it's okay," a voice spoke when Rock began struggling, "It's me." Rock's gaze darted upward, focusing on Forte's eyes of amber for a moment before panic overtook him once more.

"F-Forte, s-something's after me...!" he stammered, glancing over his shoulder past the darkness through the foliage. The roaring and laughing had ceased, but Rock's pounding heart would not allow him to relax just yet.

"It's okay, Rock," Forte said, his tone soothing, "I'm here. I won't let anything happen to you."

Rock looked back up to him, blinking. Tension slowly began to reside from his limbs, leaving him trembling in Forte's arms. "B-But..." he gasped, gulping in an attempt to moisten his dry throat.

"It's okay," Forte repeated, slowly leaning down, "You're safe with me." He leaned closer, amber eyes staring into iridescent, blue-green. "As long as I'm here, nothing will happen to you." Rock took in a sharp breath as Forte's eyes closed and their lips pressed together. Carnation tint spread across Rock's cheeks for a brief moment before he closed his eyes as well and returned the kiss, relaxing in Forte's embrace.

Rock slid shaking hands up to encircle Forte's neck as the kiss was deepened, the younger robot's arms tightening around Rock's waist. Forte traced his fingers along Rock's spine, breaking off the kiss and bending his head down to nip at the smaller robot's throat, tearing a small gasp from him. "Ah...F-Forte..." Rock whispered, a shiver trailing down his spine as his head was tilted back to give the striped robot easier access to his throat.

Rock gasped as Forte's hands slid down from his waist and around to...

* * * * *

"ARF!"

Rock snapped awake with a snort, blinking at the sudden change in surroundings. He was no longer in a forest, and Forte was nowhere to be seen. Instead, he was lying in the bed Centaur Man had loaned him and Forte for the night and sitting beside him was the small Schnauzer. Rock blinked, glancing around the bare room for a moment before sighing, "Just a dream..." The Schnauzer hopped over to him and licked his face, short tail wagging. Rock sat up and reached down to pet it and smiled weakly, rubbing it behind its ears. "Yeah...why would he be interested in me, huh?" he asked the dog, ruffling its fur.

"Rock?" he heard Forte's voice call outside the room, "You awake yet?"

"...yeah," Rock called in response, not looking up from petting the small dog.

Forte poked his head into the room and spoke, "I hope you don't mind eating on the road, but if we're going to find that guy, it's best we get going as soon as possible."

"...I don't mind," Rock answered, slowly climbing out of the bed and standing up as Forte ducked back out of the room to finish preparations to leave. Rock looked after him, watching where he had been standing for a moment before sighing with a small, wistful smile, "...it was a nice dream...but...he's been through a lot. He doesn't need or want me..." The Schnauzer tilted its head and barked questioningly. "...nothing," Rock replied, rubbing the dog behind its ears for a moment before stepping out of the room and heading down the hallway towards the living room.

"Your digestive system is absolutely shot," he heard Centaur Man's voice state. He blinked and walked further to the entrance to the living room, seeing the Healer sitting in the large chair he had sat in the night before, Quick Man and Ring Man sitting on the couch. Ring Man was covered in blankets and shawls, shivering uncontrollably in Quick Man's arms as his fever finally broke. Quick Man was out of his armor, wearing a long-sleeved tunic and slacks, his hair now revealed to be a dark blonde color.

Centaur Man continued, "Because you _drank_ the dragonsbane, it ate away your stomach and part of your intestines before it got into your bloodstream. The good thing is that you're a lycanthrope, so it'll eventually all heal -- probably in about two weeks or so. But until then, you won't be able to eat or drink anything. You're really lucky it didn't take anything important like your fluid pump or central processor."

Ring Man nodded, understanding as he replied, voice shaking as he shivered, "Well, at least I don't need food to survive." His voice was still thick and rasped, Rock noticed, but he truly looked and sounded much better already.

"Thank goodness you're awake," Rock spoke, stepping into the room fully.

Ring Man glanced over his shoulder and smiled weakly as he spoke, "Good morning."

"Good morning," Rock returned with a nod. He had to admit that he was surprised at the overnight change. The day before, Ring Man had been so sick that he could not open his eyes or even breathe at times. The improvement was both surprising and relieving.

Centaur Man stood up and spoke, "Morning. Are you and Forte leaving now?"

"I think so..." was the reply, cut off by a yawn.

"Well, good luck," Centaur Man said, "I hope you get the help you need."

Quick Man looked up from rubbing Ring Man's shoulders and voiced, "We can't thank you enough for helping us get here..."

Rock shook his head, responding, "Don't mention it. I'm glad we could help."

Centaur Man stated, snapping his fingers at one of the greyhounds when it tried to use Quick Man for a cushion, "Forte's packing up the backpacks I gave him with food and some blankets for you to use. I also gave him a map of the surrounding area so you'll be able to tell if you're going in the right direction, though you really only need to follow sunrise."

Rock blinked and thanked him, grateful for the help. He started to ask something, but cut himself off as Forte entered the room, two bulging packs slung over his shoulders, Solandri tucked into the waistband of his pants. Forte looked at Rock and spoke, "Whenever you're ready." Rock nodded, and after another round of "thank you"s, the two made their way out the door and onto the road. They were watched through the window by blue and green, mechanical optics and dark brown, canine eyes until they were out of sight, all wishing them luck on the treacherous journey ahead.

Rock remained particularly quiet as the two walked along the path to their destination, and after several moments of the unnerving silence, Forte glanced at Rock and asked, shifting the packs on his shoulders into a more comfortable position, "Are you okay? You've barely said ten words all morning."

"...I just have a lot on my mind," Rock quietly replied.

Forte tilted his head and hesitated for a moment before asking, wondering if it was too personal, "Want to talk about it?"

Rock hesitated for a moment before he came to an abrupt stop, then glanced at Forte and asked, "...what are your thoughts on dreams?"

Forte blinked, stopping as well and looking back at Rock, confused. "Dreams?" he questioned, making sure he had heard right. When Rock nodded, Forte rubbed the back of his neck for a brief moment as he thought his response.

Finally, he shrugged and answered, "I'm not sure. An old friend of mine once said that dreams can mean a variety of things, but if you remembered a dream very well after you woke up, it shouldn't be taken lightly. It almost always means something in one way or another. I believe him." He looked down at the ground, grinning slightly as he remembered who had taught him that. Crystal Man had been very odd. Odd, but wise. The only one who never took his advice had been Dr. Wily, and that was out of sheer arrogance.

Rock blinked slowly, then glanced down at the ground. "...but what if it means something other than what you want it to mean?"

Forte tilted his head again, confused, but he answered, "Well, he said it'd depend on the type of dream. He said good dreams are like wishes, and if you dream it often enough -- wish it enough -- it would eventually come true. But nightmares are often a warning of events yet to come. Especially if they don't make sense. The less sense a nightmare makes, the greater chance it has of coming true in one way or another."

"...what if it's a nightmare and a dream in one?" Rock asked, blinking.

Forte blinked. "I don't know...he never mentioned anything like that..."

"Ah..." Rock glanced down at the road again. "...but it doesn't matter...this is definitely one wish that won't come true," he muttered bitterly. He kicked at a stone, sending it flying into the bushes as he returned to walking in silence.

"If you think like that, it definitely won't." Forte reached up and placed a hand on Rock's shoulder. "And besides. Aren't you supposed to be the optimistic one?" He gave the older robot a small smile, golden eyes shining a little brighter in the morning sunlight.

Rock blinked at Forte, then smiled weakly. "Sorry...I'm just feeling a bit shaken. Don't worry...I'll be okay."

Forte pat his shoulder gently before blinking. "Oops. I forgot." He pulled one of the packs off of his shoulder and dug around in it for a moment before pulling out two small napkin-wrapped biscuits and bacon Centaur Man had prepared for them, handing one to Rock. "Here's breakfast. It's not much, but it should do until time to break for lunch." Rock accepted the food, gratefully, thanking him before eating. "No problem," Forte answered, eating as well. After a moment, he glanced up to the sky as a sudden thought crossed over his mind. "You know, now that I think about it, Centaur Man once said that his original creator had a lot of dogs...that could explain why he has so many animals."

Rock nodded as he took a large bite, then gulped it down before asking, "Who _is_ his creator?" Forte shrugged.

"Not Wily, not Light, and not Cossack...so it has to be the Fourth Scion," Forte replied, "And no one knows who the Fourth Scion is. No one's ever seen him." Forte rubbed the back of his neck. "Whenever anyone questioned Centaur Man about where he came from and about his creator, he just smiled and said something in a bizarre language no one's ever heard of. He eventually told us what it meant; 'that is a secret'."

"He really loves animals," Rock commented. He looked at his biscuit, then Forte. "It...makes me miss Rush even more..."

"Yeah...his Afghan hound reminded me of Gospel..." Forte responded, remembering how his lupine companion would literally sit on him in order to get his ears scratched, large paws perfect for pinning Forte to the floor. Forte sighed. His loss was not nearly as great as Rock's, but he still missed his loyal companion.

Rock glanced at Forte, then at the road ahead. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have mentioned it."

"It's okay," was the simple response.

* * * * *

A dark shadow shifted on its perch, fluffing its feathers as it awakened, ever amused eyes slipping open as its beak curved into a grin. The mechanical raven shook out its wings and crowed in an attempt to get its master's attention, but refusing to leave its comfortable perch. Either its master would listen, or he would lose out on the raven's newfound information.

Dr. Wily grunted and glanced over his shoulder at Reggae, having just finished reattaching Enker's arm to his body. He pat Enker's arm in a mock display of affection, then stepped over to his bird with an irritated snort. "What is it now?" he demanded.

Reggae released its hissing snicker, flapping its wings as it spoke, its tone thoroughly amused, "Two and two, they traveled to one who dwells among the beasts and would heal. Two and none, they travel once more to find the one of blood who will steal...steal the victory from your grasp, steal the soul of your slave. Return, return the mind to the body and devoid you of what you crave."

"...alright..." Dr. Wily muttered, stroking his moustache as he thought aloud, "'Two and two'...that must be Forte and Rock, Quick Man and Ring Man..." He paused, then scowled. "The 'dwells among beasts' remark must mean that idiotic nature whore, Centaur Man. 'Two and none' means that Rock and Forte are alone now...Quick Man and Ring Man must still be with Centaur Man." He blinked. "But what about 'the one of blood who will steal'...?" After a brief moment of thought, he hissed, clenching his hands tightly into fists. "It must be a Blood Scylla...they're after a Blood Scylla to take Blues back. Well, we'll see about _that_." Reggae snickered at his master's deduction of its riddle. Watching the Scion interpret its words was always highly amusing, especially when he grew frustrated.

Enker remained quiet from where he lay upon the table he had been repaired on, silent and unmoving. He had been awake and aware during the entire reconstruction and reattachment procedure, and the pain of the tools used still lingered in the back of his mind -- it was not in Dr. Wily's usual practice to sedate his robots when he repaired them. However, despite being quiet and withdrawn, he paid close attention to the conversation between Scion and raven, listening to their exchanged words carefully.

_ A Blood Scylla...do they mean...?_ He abruptly cut off the disturbing thought. That was one of the last things he wanted to think of, and he knew that most of the other Robot Masters would gladly agree.

"Enker!" Dr. Wily snapped, all but trembling with anger. "Fetch Pharaoh Man and Magnet Man. You've got a job to do."

"...yes, sir," was the quiet answer as the Dragoon sat up and slid off of the table, hiding lingering pain as well as his thoughts with his usual, emotionless mask.

"Kill Rock and Forte," Dr. Wily continued as he turned and crossed his arms, "Or at the very least distract them since even the _Trio_ seems incapable of killing them...while I -- or rather, Blues -- deals with this Blood Scylla issue."

* * * * *

Rock had to admit that the change in scenery was a small shock at first after growing used to the forests and crops of the southwest. Their new surroundings were covered mostly with short, golden grasses and large rocks, the hallmarks of a prairie. Mountains could be seen far away on the horizon, and the shoreline to the north was slowly retreating out of sight as the two robots continued on their way east.

The closer they got, the darker Forte's expression grew, Rock noticed after several hours of travel. _Is this Blood Scylla truly that horrible...?_ he quietly wondered when they took a small break to rest their feet. He watched Forte as the younger robot balanced on a large rock and tore at the pant legs of the clothes given to him the night before by Centaur Man. Forte had swore earlier that day after tripping for what was probably the fifteenth time that if he did not cut the cloth to a manageable length soon, he was going to simply throw them away and moon any enemies to death. Rock's fit of uncontrollable laughter at the mental image had forced them to take the early break they were now on.

Forte released a loud sigh of relief after throwing the cut cloth away and lay back on the rock -- which he promptly tumbled right off of with a loud yelp.

Rock looked up to the sky, remembering their conversation the night before about the path ahead of them. _He said that I knew this Blood Scylla, which means that he's probably an escaped Robot Master...I wonder which one..._

"You ready to go, Rock?" Forte called, scooping one of the two packs back up and securing it on his shoulder. Rock nodded and took the other backpack, following Forte as the striped robot began walking eastbound once more. They did not get far, however, before Forte froze, gripping Rock's arm tightly.

"What--"

"Shh!" Forte hissed, and Rock fell quiet, listening to the still air. The backpack slid down from Forte's shoulder to the ground, freeing his arm to take Solandri from her place in the waistband of his pants. She was brought slowly to his side and extended. The two robots stood quiet and still for a moment before Forte sprang, igniting Solandri's scythe blade as he swung her upwards and around, arcing downward.

An inhuman howl bellowed followed by a splash of dark red blood. The flapping of wings sounded and Forte spun back around to face their attacker. Magnet Man in his beast form landed carefully in the short grass just a few paces away, glancing over the deep mark in his fur-covered chest before turning to Forte and pulling his vulpine muzzle back into a grin, long tongue lolling out the side of his fang-filled mouth.

Rock gulped slightly as he quietly recalled his armor. He had heard nothing. Nothing. A beast as large as Magnet Man had swept down from the sky with his large wings and powerful claws to ensnare one of them, and Rock had heard _nothing_.

"How did you...?" he whispered.

"I felt him," was all Forte said.

Enker dropped down from the sky just behind and to the right of Magnet Man, having taken a powerful leap several hundred meters away, blue and gold mechanical wings folding into his back as they were no longer needed. Pharaoh Man ran into view on Magnet Man's other side.

"What's this? No Blues? I'm disappointed," Forte scoffed.

"He had other business to attend to," Pharaoh Man countered.

Forte's eyes narrowed as his grip tightened on Solandri, one leg sliding back into a better position for leaping as he demanded, "..._what_ other 'business'?"

"That is our concern, not yours," was the malformed, guttural reply from Magnet Man, the words formed strangely on his vulpine muzzle. He grinned and lashed his serpentine tail before leaping, a blur of red fur as he shot at Rock, snatching the smaller robot from the ground and flapping his large wings to take him into the air. Rock howled in fright as he squirmed in the deadly claws of the weregargoyle. He attempted to slip free, yelping when the sharp claws dug painfully into his shoulders.

"Forte..!!" Rock cried.

"Rock!" Forte called as Magnet Man roared, flying higher over the prairie. Forte growled, ignited Solandri's trident flame, and threw her, the duelsabre slicing through the air to cut deep into Magnet Man's shoulder. The lycanthrope howled, abruptly dropping Rock as he attempted to stay in the air, wings flapping furiously.

Rock screamed as he plummeted. He twisted about, then let out a pained yelp as he landed in a large patch of weeds. Dust flew up, then slowly settled as Rock moaned and struggled to sit up. He quivered slightly, blood dripping from the wounds that the impact and the thorns of the small shrubs had created. Magnet Man twisted in the air to counter the attack now that Forte was unarmed, Solandri landing in the grass not far from Rock. Pharaoh Man and Enker ran toward where they saw Rock fall.

Rock fumbled to his feet, wincing in pain, and glanced up just in time to see Pharaoh Man and Enker dart towards him. He scampered back, unsure of what to do, tripping over a rock. He yelped as he fell backwards and landed roughly on his back. Enker had gone back to aid Magnet Man as the lycanthrope attacked Forte, raking his claws over Forte's shoulders and slamming his tail into his face, both members of the Trio concentrating on incapacitating him before they aided Pharaoh Man.

Pharaoh Man stopped a few paces from Rock, raising his hands over his head as brightly burning flames gathered between his palms, growing in size and intensity as he concentrated on the spell. Rock gasped and inched back, his mind racing as he tried to think of what to do. Suddenly, he snarled and kicked a pile of sand upwards into Pharaoh Man's face.

Pharaoh Man barely flinched, concentrating too intently on his spell, the fire spiraling around his hands to form a perfect fireball. Once it finished forming, Pharaoh Man swung his arms outwards, the fire arcing as it swept toward Rock, igniting the grass it passed over. Rock quickly rolled out of the way, ignoring the pain as the ground scratched him like sandpaper, and leapt to his feet. Pharaoh Man tilted his head to the side, the line of fire suddenly twisting around in the air as it flew back at Rock.

Rock glanced at Forte to see how he was faring, then yelped and snapped about as he saw the stream of fire coming toward him. He turned and darted away, leaping behind a boulder to try and shield himself from the spell. The fire exploded on impact, causing the boulder to quake violently and the grass to burst into flames. Rock covered his head and shivered as the flames bit at him. "HELP!" Rock screamed.

Enker froze, sensing a sudden change in the chakra of the prairie, dark green eyes narrowing. The landscape suddenly felt...different; almost aggressive and malicious, the air seeming to increase in pressure. Neither Magnet Man nor Pharaoh Man felt the change -- Magnet Man too pre-occupied fighting Forte and Pharaoh Man recovering from the casting of the spell -- but Enker had. He spun around, holding Ryuujin high above his head to get a reading on the sudden magical imbalance. His eyes snapped back open as he pinpointed the cause, running towards the blazing grass and the small robot near the boulder.

Rock looked up sharply to see Enker charging towards him. He yelped and scrambled back, ignoring the heat and the burning grass as he tried to avoid whatever attack Enker intended upon making.

Enker leapt, poising Ryuujin in front of him as he all but flew through the air towards Rock. Pharaoh Man watched him, then blinked as the ground suddenly vibrated slightly. He looked up and saw grasses shift and roll like waves in the sea. "...oh _shit_," he swore, "Enker!!"

Out from the grass leapt an creature the color of the ground, screaming a high-pitched cry as it swept through the air, arcing downward to snatch Enker out of the air before disappearing into the grass once more. It was there and gone too fast for Rock to get a good glimpse of it, but the other combatants had seen more than enough.

"Landsharks..." Pharaoh Man hissed, "What the hell are they doing in _this_ area..?!"

Rock quivered, eyes wide, as he looked around. "What...what happened?" he muttered, gulping, "Where did Enker go...?"

Enker staggered back to his feet from where he had disappeared, clutching a gaping wound on his side as blood poured from it down his waist and leg. The grass "swam" just beyond the three as the landshark swung back around for another attack. "F-Forte-!" Rock called, staring. "What are those...?"

Forte ran over to Rock, avoiding the creature as it leapt out of the grass once more to knock Magnet Man out of the air. Forte snatched Solandri from where she had fallen and gripped her tightly, hissing, "Landsharks...what the hell is one doing _here_?!"

"I don't know..." Rock replied, inching closer to Forte, "But...maybe we should get out of here..!"

"...wait a second," Forte muttered as an afterthought, "Something's not right...landsharks are pack hunters, and this one's alone..."

"...p-pack hunters?" Rock gulped, "That must mean that...there's more around here!"

Forte shook his head. "No, I don't feel any more. This one's by itself for some reason...that doesn't make sense..." By then, the fire had spread outwards towards the regrouping Trio as the landshark swerved around to leap at them once more. "...and why is it ignoring us?"

"I don't know," Rock grunted, "...but do you really want to find out?"

"...no," Forte answered, watching as the landshark and Robot Masters were surrounded by a circle of fire, "Find the backpacks and let's get out of here before it notices us. I'll cover you." Rock nodded, then darted off in search of the backpacks. After a few tense moments of searching, Rock quickly darted back to find Forte. He panted heavily, glancing almost warily at the landshark and trio as if he expected them to suddenly join forces and attack him.

"Now let's get out of here," Forte hissed as he watched Magnet Man take to the air, gripping Pharaoh Man and Enker in his claws as they retreated.

* * * * *

Shadows billowed like smoke as the figure crawled down a stack of large stone blocks, fire red eyes piercing through the darkness as it stopped halfway down the pile, crouching like a waiting panther. It watched the newcomer carefully for a brief moment before speaking, its voice a hissing whisper, "And what brings the mighty Blues, slave to the Second Scion, to me?"

"I wish to make a bargain," Blues spoke for his master, the Scion watching the shadow's every movement through his eyes.

The shadow's ruby eyes narrowed as it tilted its head like a curious bird before it questioned, "A bargain for what?"

"Aid us against Rock and Forte," Blues answered, unfazed by the strong scent of blood and decomposition which clung stubbornly to the air, "Aid us in any way we ask and do not aid them."

The shadow sprawled lazily upon the stone block, feet hanging off the edge and wrists folded like a cat's under its chin. "And for what reason? What do you possess that could possibly interest me in repayment?"

Blues paused for a moment before answering, "I know you require fresh blood and pain for your spells. If you help us capture Rock and Forte, you may do whatever you wish with them, be it as ingredients for your spells or for your own desires."

The shadow glanced up, eyes narrowing. It climbed back to all fours and leapt off of the stack of blocks and onto the edge of the stone well in the center of the room, perching on the edge like a vulture in a tree as it hunched down and hissed, amusement and laughter in its fire-colored eyes.

"I will think about it. I will definitely think about it..."

"Aoi Arashi / Blue Storm" -- Yumi Touma  
"Fushigi Yuugi"


	10. EC 9: Nightmare

Chapter Nine  
Nightmare

The sun was setting on the third day since they had left Khana when the two robots finally noticed signs that they were getting closer to their destination. The landscape had turned dark, grass changing from golden to grey, trees appearing once more, bereft of leaves, bark the same, sickly grey as the grass. It was almost a wasteland, having burned not too long ago -- perhaps a year past. The more differences in the landscape Rock noticed, the more he also noticed that his suspicion was being confirmed. With each hour they came closer and closer to their destination, Forte's tension grew, his shoulders stiff as wood from the accumulated tension.

Rock glanced at him, then up to the cloud-covered sky as he spoke, "Maybe we should take a short break and rest...what do you think--" He looked back down before him and choked back a surprised scream, stumbling back a few steps to fall back on his backside.

The half-rotted corpse of a large beast stared blindly down at him, its eyes having been pecked out by scavengers long ago. Fur still clung to its maggot-laden body in patches as it hung limp from the tree it had been impaled upon, the fire-blackened branch speared through its ribcage keeping it suspended in the air. The rot had progressed so far that Rock could barely tell what the creature had once been, but flat teeth visible from a broken, dangling jaw suggested that it had been an herbivore -- possibly a deer. Rock clapped a hand over his mouth, gulping dryly to keep from loosing his last meal.

Forte crossed his arms, surveying the display for a moment before speaking for the first time in the past several hours. "It's not much farther," he stated, reaching down to help Rock back to his feet, "That's to mark his territory. We're under his rule as soon as we step past it."

"_That..._is a territorial marker...?" Rock gulped, resisting the urge to cover his nose at the horrid stench of rot that wafted from the dead animal.

"Yeah," was Forte's simple answer before he pointed first to his left, then to his right. Rock blinked, following his gestures and nearly choking. Every few trees down a line had a dead animal impaled upon it -- sometimes a human -- the corpses forming a perfect line through the trees as a boundary. Rock took a deep breath and slowly let it out, finally satisfied that he was not going to throw up.

"I'm not so sure about this anymore..." he admitted, tightly clutching the strap of the backpack resting on his shoulder.

"I wasn't to begin with," Forte stated, extending Solandri, but not igniting her, keeping her ready just in case, "But like Centaur Man said...he's Blues' only hope." Rock nodded. That was the only reason why Rock had not suggested turning back. "Come on," Forte spoke after a moment, "We're almost there."

* * * * *

"...he lives..._there_?" Rock muttered. Forte nodded, but did not answer since it was a rhetorical question. The ruins of a large village lay before them, the houses crumbled and burned from the inside out, wood almost as rotted as the humanoid bodies strewn in the debris. The village had burned at the same time as the forest -- a year, maybe two years ago -- and no one had bothered to rebuild it. Aside from the still-rotting bodies of humans who had died in the inferno lying on the ground and in the debris, the sight of the burned village was not too disturbing.

It was the castle which sent a chill down Rock's spine. Backed by scorched trees and charred black from the long-past blaze, the castle almost seemed like a place a demon would call home instead of a Mage. Part of the castle was collapsed, nothing but a mass of charred rubble which ravens and vultures hopped about in search of a meal. Old, long-dried blood caked the large doors leading to the audience hall, the blood dried in the form of handprints. Rotting animals ranging from dogs to goats to cattle formed a semi-circle around the front of the castle, forming a barrier of bodies and stench.

"...I'd heard about this place..." Forte muttered to himself, balancing Solandri on his shoulder as he looked around idly, "Talatha...it was destroyed by Fire Man, Heat Man, and Flame Man about two years ago. The Blood Scylla must have decided that an abandoned, blood-bathed city would suit him...and I have to agree." He stepped forward, starting toward the castle without waiting for Rock's response. Rock hesitated, taking a few deep breaths to keep his last meal in his stomach before reluctantly following.

The blood-coated door was kicked open, and Solandri was ignited to dispel the darkness coating the dusty room. "He might be in the throne room, or that one tower that's still stable," Forte spoke. Rock nodded, following him through the dark, rank corridors.

More charred, barely recognizable bodies lined the hallways, flies buzzing around them and rats chewing on them. The rotted bodies of dogs and cats also decorated the barren, empty structure, dried blood coating the floor and walls from the massacre. Bloody prints covered the floor, making boot patterns on the stone and leading to the remaining tower. As the two robots followed the bath of boot prints down a hall and up a spiraling staircase to the top of the large tower, they reached a blood-covered door. Upon the door were words written in long-dried blood.

"Abandon all hope, ye who enter here"

Rock gulped slightly, trying to push his heart back down into his chest from where it had settled in his throat. He looked to Forte who had wiped away all emotion from his face, expression completely blank and unreadable. "What _is_ a Blood Scylla?" Rock asked as Forte reached for the doorknob.

Forte glanced at him and responded, "I told you. It's--"

"You told me that it's the second most powerful Mage Class and that there are only two known, but you didn't tell me what it _is_," Rock countered. Forte just looked at him for a long moment, as if wondering whether he should tell him or not.

Finally, he answered, "Look around, Rock. This is a Blood Scylla's paradise. Death, blood, and decomposition. Their source of power is the power of death itself. But their primary source of strength is, as their name suggests, blood and the organs." Rock hesitated, unsure how to respond for a moment before speaking again as Forte turned the doorknob.

"You said I knew him," Rock stated, iridescent eyes narrowing, "Who is he?"

Forte almost growled, but answered calmly, pushing open the door, "You'll find out soon enough." He looked away from Rock's glare, golden eyes set on the room now before them.

Rock jumped in front of him, his back to the dark room beyond the door as he demanded, "Forte, what is _wrong_ with you? You haven't given me a direct answer to _anything_ since we left Khana, and I want a real answer now. Who _is_ he?"

"Rock..." Forte hissed.

"_And by the pricking of your thumbs_ / _Realize that their poison numbs_--" a voice suddenly spoke from the darkness. Rock yelped sharply and spun around where he was swept behind Forte, the striped robot igniting Solandri fully and taking up a defensive posture. "--_From frightful blooms, rank odors seep_ / _Bats and beasties fly and creep._"

Forte's eyes narrowed as he spoke in response, "_'Cross this evil land, ill winds blow_ / _Despite the darkness, mushrooms glow_ / _All will rot and decompose_ / _For something wicked this way grows..._" He straightened, lowering Solandri a little as a humorless grin spread across his face. "It suits you."

Torches flared to life all around the room, tearing through the choking darkness and revealing the interior. Blood-covered tapestries lined the walls, the pictures ruined and barely recognizable. Stone blocks were arranged in the back of the room to form an abstract staircase on the left and right walls and a large platform against the back wall, the peak of the platform hidden in shadows which were untouched by the torchlight. The center of the room held a well lined with candles, a thick, dark liquid swirling inside it. Shelves lined the walls holding various jars and bottles.

Two fire red eyes pierced the darkness on top of the wall of stone blocks, the owner's silhouette just barely visible as he crouched on the edge of the wall like a cougar ready to pounce on its prey. Though it was not visible, Rock could _feel_ the Blood Scylla's grin as it spoke, "And what brings the two of you to me? I know it must be important, otherwise you would have avoided me like the plague, Forte..." Forte resisted growling. Rock tensed. That voice was so familiar...

_ ...it can't be..._

The shadow leapt down, landing as light as a cat on the stone floor and taking three steps forward into the light. Yellow boots -- as well as the sawblades around the ankles -- were permanently stained with old blood, dark stains also covering the skin tight, black jumpsuit he wore. His bladed chestplate was gone, the material of the jumpsuit clinging to his lithe chest and hips and thin arms. Red gauntlets protected his forearms from the elbows down and red gloves protected his hands, the sawblades around his wrists newly sharpened and also stained with blood. Along with his chestplate, his helmet had been discarded over the years, revealing alabaster skin and hair the color of the blood staining the tapestries. Fire red eyes watched the newcomers with eternal amusement, something darker lurking just behind it.

_ It is..._

Rock could not resist shivering. He _had_ known him. He had been one of the very few Robot Masters Rock had truly known well enough to call a friend -- in fact, Rock had once had feelings toward him. The darkness in the smaller robot's red eyes sent a chill through Rock's body. That darkness -- that look of insanity had not been there when Rock had known him almost five years past. _Forte was right...if I'd known who he was, I wouldn't have come..._

Metal Man merely grinned.

* * * * *

Forte and Metal Man were at the well in the center of the room discussing...something. Rock was not listening, content where he sat upon the stone block formation in the back of the room, his legs dangling lazily off the edge. He was being flooded with thoughts and emotions he had no idea what to make of. Never had he imagined that _Metal Man_ would have been the Blood Scylla. Metal Man. His former "crush", so to speak.

_ I thought he was a Necromancer..._

Rock propped one of his elbows on his knee, resting his chin in his hand as he stared up at the ceiling, remembering the way the small Robot Master had once been. He could still remember Metal Man's day-brightening smile and how soft his laugh had been -- how soft his voice had been, period. Rock often had to strain to hear him even if they were standing next to each other. Metal Man had been so quiet and caring, even for a Robot Master. Nothing like...

Rock looked back down at the figure sitting on the edge of the well. The air around him was confident and malicious, and his eyes were not the soft, caring eyes that Rock had known, but instead they were brightly burning, red optics that seemed to pierce through even skin and stare straight into the soul; nothing but tools to intimidate and disturb. Those eyes radiated insanity and bloodlust, not kindness and empathy like they had long before. Even the way he lay upon the edge of the well was different, sprawled upon it like a predatory cat basking in the sun. The Metal Man Rock had known would have been sitting with his back straight and his legs crossed, his hands resting on either side of his hips to keep his balance.

Rock looked back up to the ceiling, his memories trailing further back to when he had met the smaller robot. He had been sent by Dr. Light to find the "murderous robot" who had overtaken the underground mines of T'luka -- known as Myrai now that it was under the rule of a new mayor -- and destroy him. When Rock had found him, he had not found a murderous robot. Instead he had found a rebellious one -- one who had directly disobeyed the orders of his creator to kill any human he saw.

Metal Man had given the humans safety in the largest cavern of the mines, protecting from the bloodthirsty, more insignificant robots who had a tendency to ignore his commands. He had refused to fight Rock and had given him a copy of his weapon without argument or provocation. When Rock had demanded an explanation as to why he was behaving the way he was, Metal Man had merely grinned and said "that was a story for their next meeting".

Rock pulled his legs up, wrapping his arms around them and tucking his knees under his chin as he rocked slightly. He remembered meeting Metal Man various times after their first meeting in the mines. Rock had learned that the red-eyed robot openly opposed Dr. Wily's reign, blatantly ignoring orders and often helping the humans instead of killing them. Rock sighed and released his legs, letting them dangle over the edge of the loft again.

_ What happened to him...?_

Lithe arms snaked around his shoulders from behind and something warm and moist swiped across his cheek. "Do you want us to leave you alone, or are you ready to rejoin the world of the coherent?" Metal Man whispered in Rock's ear, nuzzling slightly. Rock yelped, jumping slightly and muttering a quiet apology for not listening as he squirmed out of Metal Man's arms. Metal Man grinned after him as Rock dropped back down to the floor.

"He agreed to help us on one condition," Forte stated simply, crossing his arms and half-glaring up at Metal Man's smiling face. Rock blinked, then looked up at Metal Man who had sprawled out on the edge of the loft like a cat once again, the smug grin never leaving his face.

"What condition?" Rock asked.

"Oh, it's nothing much," Metal Man purred, "And I'd need it in order to bind Blues' soul back to his body, anyway." He stretched on his side and folded his hands under his head before continuing. "I need the blood of a fyrlyzard. It has magical properties for healing. I could restore Blues' soul without the blood, but there would probably be some really nasty complications." Rock cringed at the thought. "They're numerous just to the northeast about half a day away. Small and very easy to kill." Forte nodded.

"If they _are_ numerous, it shouldn't be too hard..." Forte muttered in response, "We'll head out tomorrow morning."

Rock looked down to the floor for a long moment before looking back up and asking, "I just don't understand...what does Wily _want_ with him? Why Blues?"

Metal Man's fire red eyes almost lit up as he lifted his head, the never-fading grin widening a little as he responded, "What does he _want_ with Blues?" The grin widened further and the bright red eyes narrowed. "You really don't know what Wily's true goal is, do you?"

"World domination," Forte answered, tilting his head. The reaction he received was...unexpected, to say the least.

Metal Man looked down, shoulders shaking slightly as if he was almost crying just before he threw back his head and laughed. His light tenor voice rang through the room, echoed off the walls and amplified. It was a harsh laugh, nothing like the quiet, almost...bubbly laugh Rock had once known.

Metal Man looked back down to the two robots below him, eyes shining with amusement. "Of course not!" he corrected, holding back more laughter, "A man like Wily won't stop at just _world_ domination..."

Forte blinked and asked, "...then what _is_ his goal...?" Metal Man grinned.

"_Universal_ domination." Forte and Rock blinked, then exchanged a glance. "He wants to be the master of all. The ultimate ruler. The supreme emperor." Metal Man brushed back his blood red bangs, dropping down to the floor. "And to do that, he needs power. Lots of power."

Forte looked back to Metal Man and countered, eyes narrowed with both suspicion and confusion, "Don't be ridiculous...in order to control the entire universe, he'd need more power than even a Scion's granted with. He'd practically need to be a--" Metal Man silenced him by placing a long, gloved finger on his lips. The small robot grinned.

"A god," Rock whispered.

"Exactly," Metal Man answered, stepping back a few paces and hopping onto the edge of his well, crouching down upon it like a vulture in a tree. "He wants to become a god."

"But...that's not possible..." Rock muttered, "...is it...?"

"There is a legend," was the reply as Metal Man slowly stirred the dark liquid in the well with a finger, creating thick ripples which grew as they ventured to the other side of the well, "It's been around since as far as the first written history records." He looked up, the grin having disappeared, but his eyes still shining with slight amusement. "'The tainted body of the chosen favorite shall be sacrificed at the center of Evil's power, sacrificed by a warrior of darkness with its blade of shadow. The sacrifice shall begin a chain reaction which will bring forth the gods in a challenge. Whoever is to defeat the gods shall become a god himself.'" The grin returned. "The power of nature is at the chosen's call, brought forth by the power of his voice. Nature, and all the blessings that surround it, bend to the chosen's will. Wily already has one piece of the riddle, Blues -- the warrior of darkness. He just needs the second piece -- the 'chosen favorite'."

A small shiver trailed down Rock's spine at the Blood Scylla's words. It seemed so unreal, like something out of a book. However, here there were no knights in shining armor killing dragons and rescuing princesses. Just death and destruction with a few lost souls trying to stop it. Rock did not want to believe it, but he knew there had to be at least some truth to it. Dr. Wily had Blues already, but who was this 'chosen favorite' and how could they stop Dr. Wily from taking him?

"That's enough for tonight," Metal Man suddenly spoke again, tearing through Rock's thoughts. The smaller robot stretched on his perch on the well. "You two go to bed; you'll need your rest. There are spare blankets in the corner." The ever-present grin widened slightly. "The tower's a little drafty, but I'm sure you two can huddle up enough to keep warm."

Forte hesitated, confused by the sudden change in subject, but nodded, backing away and turning to walk to the corner Metal Man had indicated so he could arrange an area for Rock and himself to sleep on. Rock stayed where he was for a moment, watching Metal Man dip his finger back into the liquid in the well and lick it off before hopping down and crawling his way back up to the loft. Confused at the action, Rock leaned over the side of the well and surveyed its contents. After a moment, the realization nearly made him throw up. He stumbled back a few steps before quickly making his way over to Forte, trying to forget what he had just seen, what he had just seen in the well.

The well filled with blood.

_ What did we get ourselves into...?_

"Nightmare" -- Oogata Magumi  
"Yuu Yuu Hakusho"


	11. EC 10: Yesterday

A/N: My creative writing class sucks. @X; It's sapping all of my inspiration. Anyway, here's chapter 10. Chapter 11 is going to take a while...I'm not entirely sure what all I want to do in it. And yes, Forte's scene at the end is very rushed, as is the last scene. This is also a very dull chapter all around. I couldn't figure out what else to do with it, and I'm behind schedule, anyway. @@;; Just be glad I finished it. xx; *wanders off to refuel on Dr. Pepper before she passes out*

_Chapter Ten  
Yesterday_

"Okay, what do fyrlyzards look like?" Forte asked, slowly twirling Solandri in his hands, keeping his thoughts focused.

"Like miniature wyverns, actually," Metal Man answered with a small yawn, tracing patterns in the dust on his loft, "Bright red and between one and three feet long from nose to tail. You can't miss them. But I wouldn't get bitten by one, if I were you..."

Forte glanced at him, golden eyes narrowing slightly. "Why not?" Metal Man grinned.

"They're very, very venomous," came the answer, bright and chipper like there was nothing to worry about. Which, in fact, there was not since _Forte_ was the one going out.

Forte bit back a swear and asked, pulling a backpack over his shoulder, "And how many do you need?"

"Hmm...well, to be on the safe side, get two," Metal Man replied, continuing to trace patterns in the dust, "That way, I'll have plenty of blood to work with."

"Right..." Forte muttered, starting toward the door to leave, "Come on, Rock." Rock nodded, starting after him.

Metal Man finally looked up from the stones making up his loft as he conveyed, "Why take him with you? It's not going to take more than a day to get there and back, and I'm sure you can handle those puny little lizards by yourself." Forte glared at him, an action to which Metal Man grinned. "And besides, I'm sure he needs more rest than you. He's suffered more emotional trauma." Forte bit back a snarl, and Rock winced.

"No," Forte started, "I'm not--"

"It's okay, Forte..." Rock spoke, cutting him off, "I-I don't mind staying."

"But...!"

"You're only going to be gone until probably a little past nightfall..." Rock closed his eyes and gave Forte a bright smile. "So you'll probably be back before I know it!" Forte's protest died in his throat as he realized it was useless. Rock was insisting upon staying, and Forte doubted he could change his mind. So instead, he huffed and cast a sharp glare at Metal Man's smiling face.

"I swear, if you do anything to him, I'll skin you alive," he hissed.

"Sounds like fun," Metal Man crooned, a purr rumbling in the back of his throat, "I'll be sure to do something." Forte bit back a snarl and turned on his heel, practically storming out the door, refusing to look back. Rock blinked after him, then glanced over his shoulder to Metal Man who hopped down from his loft and walked over to the hole in the stone wall which functioned as a window, poking his head outside. Rock slipped in beside him, also poking his head out the "window" to see Forte off. "Bai bai!" Metal Man called, waving like a hyper toddler. Rock blinked at him before waving to Forte for a moment. He was still not used to the drastic changes that had befallen the small Robot Master.

As Rock turned away from the "window", he was greeted by the sight of Metal Man attempting to leap onto the edge of his well, but slipping and falling into it. Bright red fluid splashed high into the air, but somehow did not splash onto the sides or the floor, probably by virtue of a spell to prevent it from spilling. Metal Man, however, proved to be immune to it as he clambered out of the well and tumbled to the floor, yelping, coated with the blood which filled the well.

Rock was quite sure his face turned a sickly color as he watched Metal Man shake off part of the blood like a wet dog, then sit down in the floor and begin washing himself like a cat, tongue lapping up the red fluid.

Rock quickly turned away from the sight, clapping a hand over his mouth in an attempt to prevent himself from throwing up. He took several deep breaths and gulped a few times before he was satisfied that his breakfast was going to stay in his stomach, sighing quietly and leaning against the stone window to look out to the burned city and recovering forest. The horrible smell of decomposition and blood had not helped him to sleep very well during the night, but he was not tired enough to have to take a nap just yet. As he watched clouds slowly shift and roll across the sky, he found himself once again remembering his first meeting with Metal Man back during the second war of the Reign of Wily.

_ ...gods, he's changed so much..._

* * * * *

_ Stone walls were rimmed with messily installed cannons, bubble bats lining the ceilings of the caverns while Mets and Joes patrolled the ground, armed with plasma rifles and welding tools, some carrying small bombs to destroy passageways if needed. It was light security, and for good reason. For something far worse lay past them at the heart of the mines._

Rock kept his expression grim as he fought his way through the mass of bubble bats, Mets, and Joes and dodged fire from the cannons set into the cavern walls, trying not to think of how many more humans might be dying while he was trying to navigate through the mines, how many more might die before he defeated the Robot Master lying in wait in the heart of the caverns, how many more might die before he ended this war.

How many more might die before he stopped Dr. Wily.

Rock shook his head and destroyed another Met. These robots, as well as the Joes and bubble bats, were not alive like himself and the Robot Masters -- usually called Drones. They lacked the souls which enabled the Robot Masters to become who they were -- different classes of Mages and with various different personalities, as well as the ability to think on their feet during battle and with the capability of emotions. Rock shook his head again. Now was not the time to distract himself by thinking too much. It had gotten him in trouble just a few days past when he had been fighting Flash Man, and he did not want to repeat the same mistake just in case this Robot Master was stronger.

Finally, the large, makeshift gate stood before him, a monstrosity of titanium and gears, completely out of place in the maze of stone and dirt. Rock took a deep breath to cool his circuitry and slow his fluid pump's rapid beating for a moment before stepping forward and through the gate.

The sight he was greeted with was almost completely the opposite of what he had expected. Humans lined the walls of the room, most sitting, some standing; some sleeping peacefully, others occupying themselves by conversing with each other or by other means. Children ran about the room laughing and squealing as they played, not having a care in the world. Blankets were strewn throughout the cavern, plenty for everyone to keep warm at night. Some humans even had their pets with them, dogs barking and chasing cats, ferrets bounding around gleefully.

A single robot patrolled the cavern, kneeled in the back-center and talking to a little boy who had skinned his knee, crooning to him and wiping away his tears. The Robot Master's face was hidden behind a mask, hair disguised by his sawblade-decorated helmet. A large, red chestplate protected his upper torso, shoulders also decorated with sawblades, a large emerald set in the center of the metal.

"Metal Man..." Rock hissed, shifting his left arm into a cannon. Metal Man looked up toward him, eyes gleaming in the torchlight. His eyes seemed like candle flames, iridescent like Rock's own eyes, but instead of blue and green, Metal Man's eyes shifted between varying shades of red, orange, and yellow, giving his eyes the appearance of twin tongues of flame dancing in a campfire. Rock could not help but blink at their breathtaking beauty, but quickly admonished himself and took his fighting stance.

"Rock," Metal Man spoke as he stood, voice a soft and calm tenor. He was short for a Robot Master -- shorter than Rock; probably standing at approximately five-foot-one, if Rock guessed right. "We've been waiting for you." The smile could not be seen, but Rock knew it was there. "I can leave, now."

Rock blinked. "Leave...?" This encounter did not make sense. Why was Metal Man not attacking him?

As if reading his mind, Metal Man nodded as he answered, "Yes. I have no intention of fighting you. Unlike the others, I neither approve of Wily's goals, nor his means of achieving those goals." He took a few steps closer until he was in the center of the cavern. "I would rather turn my back to the war, but as I am one of his creations, I must at least humor him." The smile turned into a grin. "But that doesn't mean I obey him." Rock blinked again, lowering his arm cannon and relaxing his stance. "He doesn't like me because I openly oppose him. And because I'm enabling others to see how wrong he is."

"...I don't...understand..."

Metal Man laughed, a light, pleasant, almost soothing sound which echoed off the cavern walls. After a moment, the small Robot Master looked up again and replied, "No, I didn't expect you to. But I will explain in due time. When we won't be in such an awkward place." Rock frowned, skeptical at best. Metal Man raised his arms to gesture around the cavern. "As you can see, all of the humans are unharmed, ready for you to lead them back to the village. The cavern defenses will deactivate as soon as I leave."

"W-Wait...!" Rock stammered, still confused and taken aback, "W...Will I see you again...?"

Metal Man smiled once more and answered. "That, you can count on, Rock. That, you can count on..."

* * * * *

Lithe arms looped around his waist and something moist swiped against his cheek. "Am I interrupting anything?" Metal Man purred into his ear.

Rock jumped slightly as he was torn out of his thoughts, biting back a yelp. "U-Um...no..." he stammered, trying to squirm out of Metal Man's arms.

"You were thinking pretty hard..." Metal Man purred, slipping closer to Rock who took a step back, pressing his back against the wall, "Anything you want to share? Anything you want to talk about?"

"N-No..." Rock gulped as Metal Man leaned closer until their noses almost touched.

"Are you sure?" Metal Man asked, pressing closer, red-orange eyes looking into blue-green. Rock's reply died in his throat as he stared into Metal Man's iridescent eyes, his legs suddenly feeling numb and heavy. "Poor, tortured soul..." the Blood Scylla whispered, "Things haven't been easy...and they won't get any easier. You have no idea what you're in for, Rokku..." Metal Man slipped even closer, pressing Rock against the wall, the grin never leaving his face even as he tilted his head to the side and placed a gentle, almost chaste kiss on Rock's lips.

The contact was brief, and Rock barely had a chance to react before Metal Man was gone again, sorting through the bottles on his shelves across the room. Rock slowly raised his fingers to his lips, his hand shaking a little as he stared at the Blood Scylla's back, confused. That much, at least, was like the Metal Man he knew. Not exactly the latter part, but the riddles which he refused to answer, dropping cryptic hints every now and then that would be almost impossible to piece together.

Just like so long ago.

* * * * *

_ "What are you doing here?"_

The red-haired figure stood up with his back to Rock, his long, black coat flowing about him like shadows, almost invisible in the darkness of the night. His dark red hair was almost lost in the shadows, but his pale skin stood out as he looked to the sky, watching the stars.

"They're beautiful, aren't they?" he whispered.

Rock's eyes narrowed, but he did not lower his arm cannon as he asked, "...what?"

"The stars," came the quiet answer, "The way they stand out among the darkness; tiny pinpoints of light where shadow overwhelms. The shadow is too strong to overcome, but the light still fights for dominance despite the fact that it is remarkably overwhelmed." Metal Man turned to face Rock, eyes half-closed with a small, knowing smile. "Much like your situation, don't you agree?"

Rock tensed, keeping his aim. "What are you doing here?" he repeated.

Metal Man looked back to the sky. "Just visiting."

"...a graveyard?"

Metal Man nodded, turning back to the tombstone he had been sitting beside, placing a hand on it. "This man died in my location because I couldn't stop one of the Joes. I was asking for forgiveness for failing him." Rock blinked.

"Asking for forgiveness?" Rock blinked again, tilting his head.

"Yes. Three children are without a father, a wife is without a husband, two sisters are without a brother, and a mother is without a son. Because I could not stop one_ Joe." He turned back to Rock and smiled at his elder's confused expression. "I have an affinity with the dead," Metal Man stated, "We were having quite a nice conversation before you interrupted us."_

"So he...um...forgave you?" Rock asked, labeling Metal Man "crazy" in the back of his mind, lowering his arm cannon as he convinced himself nothing was going to happen. Metal Man nodded. Rock rubbed the back of his neck and blinked as he realized what Metal Man reminded him of.

A priest like those he had read about in fictional books. One who seemed to know everything about right and wrong and tried to guide people properly to the "light". One who was always calm and helpful even in the worst of times.

One who no one ever listened to because they were believed to be crazy.

Rock frowned, blinking at that before asking, "You said something in the mines...something about 'openly opposing Wily'..."

"And I meant exactly that," Metal Man responded, "I do not approve of his goals, and I do not intend to willingly participate in the enacting of them."

"But...how_ do you oppose him?"_

Metal Man grinned, a lazy, amused curve of the lips which brightened his expression. "'How' as in my methods or 'how' as in how can I oppose my creator?"

Rock blinked and tilted his head. "Um...both, I guess..."

A soft, short laugh barely disturbed the peacefulness of the cemetery as Metal Man answered, "Well...'how' as in how I can oppose my creator; I just do. He mostly tolerates me, though he hasn't threatened to destroy my soul yet. If it comes down to that, well..." Metal Man shrugged. "And 'how' as in my methods..." He grinned again. "I mostly just ignore his orders, but sometimes I sabotage his machinery." He looked past Rock. "I believe it's time for you to go."

Rock blinked and glanced over his shoulder to see Roll and Dr. Light looking for him. He frowned, but turned back to Metal Man and asked, "Will I...see you again...?" Metal Man smiled.

"Of course, Rock," was the answer, "How about this time Endweek? Here?"

Paranoia told Rock it might be a trap, but Infatuation told him that he might not see Metal Man on friendly terms again. Confidence threw in that Rock would be able to fight him anyway if things came to worse, to which Infatuation waved a triumphant fist in Paranoia's face and Paranoia shrieked and began throwing a fit. Rock shook his head as his conflicting emotions got into a fist fight and replied.

"S-Sure...I'll be here."

* * * * *

"Metal Man?" Rock spoke, catching the smaller robot's attention.

"Yeees?" came the sing-song reply.

Rock gulped slightly, but asked, "I-I was wondering what Blood Scylla magic was like...a-and..." His counterpart grinned.

"Oh?" Metal Man purred, slipping closer to him, silent as a cat. "You want to know how it works?" Rock gulped again, but nodded. He could not deny his curiosity which had been strengthened by Forte's refusal to explain things to him lately. A nagging voice in the back of Rock's mind told him that this was a mistake, but he kicked it aside. He had already asked, and doubted that Metal Man would allow him to back out now.

"How strong a spell do you want to see?" Metal Man purred, slinking around behind Rock and resting his chin on a white-clothed shoulder.

Rock thought he felt his heart almost skip a beat before its pace sped up. Was the air in the room growing thicker or was he just overreacting at that simple question? He shook his head and answered, gulping one more time in an attempt to push his heart out of his throat and back into his chest, "N-Nothing t-too strong...j-just something small..." Metal Man's grin did nothing to help calm him down.

The Blood Scylla leapt away, hopping up and perching on the edge of his well, raising a hand and beckoning Rock to join him. Rock hesitated, but slowly stepped to the edge of the well opposite Metal Man, trying not to look at the dark red liquid inside.

"Let's start with something simple..." Metal Man crooned, reaching down into the well, stirring the blood with his fingers, "Do you want to know how Forte's doing?" Rock blinked, to which Metal Man grinned. He made one more lazy circle in the blood with his fingers before raising his hand, and watching the ripples fade.

An image of Forte walking through the burned forest appeared in the well, dyed various shades of red with no other color. Rock stared at the moving image, not sure what to think of it, merely watching it for several moments before finally looking back up at Metal Man.

"How...?"

"With the right amount of concentration, I can see anywhere in the world," was the simple reply as Metal Man licked his fingers clean, "As long as I have some sort of a pool of blood to look into." Rock blinked at that. Anywhere in the world? Blood Scyllas had that kind of power?

Rock tilted his head as he asked timidly, "What...else can you do?" The mischievous grin that spread across Metal Man's face almost instantly made Rock regret asking.

Without hesitation, Metal Man hopped down from the edge of his well and plunged both hands into the blood. The sudden surge of power made Rock gasp, almost doubling over, gripping the edge of the well for support. As Metal Man slowly raised his hands out of the blood, Rock hissed, feeling as if the muscles in his back were trying to tear free of his skin, watching as the shadows grew behind Metal Man, shifting like smoke in the wind. Rock's vision suddenly clouded over and he could barely hear anything but the rush of blood in his ears. However, through the painful haze, he thought he heard Metal Man's voice speaking to himself.

"You can't control me forever..." he was hissing, hands clenching into fists, "You won't keep me much longer...you know that..." Metal Man's back was shredded by unseen claws, blood flowing freely down the material of his jumpsuit. He cracked a pained grin as he shakily gripped the edge of the well. "Yeah...you know you can't have me forever...I'm breaking free of your control...it's just a matter of time...do you hear me?" He grabbed his head as a searing pain tore through his brain. "Do you hear me, Th--"

A harsh, bellowing laugh echoed through the room and Metal Man screamed, the last thing Rock heard before darkness surrounded him.

* * * * *

Forte growled to himself and sat down on a large tree root, resting Solandri in his lap. The sun was beginning to set, and he knew he was going in circles. "Easy to find...can't miss 'em..." he muttered to himself, "Easy to find, my _ass_..." He huffed and glanced around. "If I could just find some sort of clue..." A faint rustle in the foliage made him look to his left, around the tree he was sitting beside.

A sleek, tawny-furred form padded through the fallen leaves, curved ears erect to capture any noise in the vicinity. Its lean-muscled form made graceful steps, curving around bushes, its tail barely brushing against the leaves of shrubs.

Forte sighed and turned away from the cougar, having hoped it had been at least one fyrlyzard. He settled back against the tree again and sighed once more. _I'll rest my feet a little longer, and then I'll start looking again..._ He blinked at a sudden thought, looking back to the cougar. She was marking her territory, so surely she knew the game of the area...

Forte narrowed his eyes, concentrating as he watched her. The cougar paused in mid-step for a moment before lying down, relaxing as Forte used his power to make the connection, willing her to hunt for the fyrlyzards. He closed his eyes, then opened them again.

He watched through the cougar's eyes as she bounded away through the trees, knowing exactly where she was going. He could tell from her knowledge of the terrain and the creatures she was searching for that she had hunted them before, leaping and loping silently through the forest.

He watched through her eyes as she found the fyrlyzard family group and attacked, taking down one almost instantly. He heard the creatures' squeals and squawks through the cougar's ears, heard the flapping of their wings as they took to the air to escape. He felt as if his own legs were coiling up to spring as the cougar leapt into the air, clamping her fangs down on another fyrlyzard's tail and bringing it to the ground for the kill. Forte gulped as he could have sworn he tasted the hot blood on his own tongue, felt as if he had claws himself and that those claws were tearing into the fyrlyzard's scales.

As soon as it had begun, it was over, and the cougar gathered both kills into her powerful jaws, half-dragging, half-carrying them back to Forte who broke off the mental connection as soon as he had the reptiles in his own hands. The cougar blinked at him, shook herself off, and fled, giving him one last glance before she disappeared around a tree.

Forte rubbed his eyes, trying to dispel a massive headache before he stood up, glancing over the kills. They looked just as Metal Man had described them -- bright red, miniature wyverns.

"I hope he'll be happy now," he muttered, grabbing the two creatures' tails and turning to start back to the abandoned city as day slowly began to turn into night.

* * * * *

The night was strong by the time Forte finally made his way back into the castle of blood and decomposition, gagging at the smell as his senses had grown unused to it in his absence. He quickly made his way back to the tower and its blood-marked door, pushing it open and glancing around.

Rock slept quietly, curled up in a corner with a blanket wrapped around his shoulders. Forte had to look a little before he found Metal Man curled into a ball like a cat beside the well, also asleep. Blood coated his back and the back of his jumpsuit, three diagonal tears ripped in the cloth, but there was no visible damage. Forte blinked, but shook his head, tossing down the two fyrlyzards and retracting Solandri as he stepped over to Rock's sleeping form, sitting down beside him.

A light blush tinted Forte's cheeks as Rock turned over and leaned against him, still asleep. Forte hesitated before looping an arm around the smaller robot's shoulders, gently rubbing his arm. He wanted to wake him up to make sure Metal Man had done nothing to him, but he did not want to disturb the sleeping form. It could wait until the morning.

Forte frowned and glanced back in Metal Man's direction. The morning would also reveal what would need to be done next in order to free Blues. Hopefully, nothing else would happen to delay that. Forte sighed.

It was almost over.

"Yesterday" -- Para Para Paradise  
"Para Para Paradise"


	12. EC 11: Crucify My Love

A/N: I only have one thing to say. I feel like a total BITCH for slacking off so long and then regurgitating this piece of crap.

Chapter Eleven  
Crucify My Love

"Okay, this is the tricky part," came the purring statement from the loft as backpacks were filled and secured to shoulders, the morning sun shining through the small windows of the tower. The smell of decomposition was almost familiar, no longer causing gagging reactions. Solandri was tucked away before both eldest and youngest turned to face fiery eyes.

"Just tell us what it is," Forte muttered to Metal Man's amusement.

"I need you to capture Blues and bring him to me," Metal Man answered.

There was a long pause before Forte finally responded, "You're kidding, right?"

"I'll also need his soul," Metal Man added.

Forte hissed, "If you're going to send us on that kind of wild goose chase, why don't you come along and help instead of sitting on your lazy a--"

"Forte!" Rock hissed. Forte growled, but he let himself trail off. Metal Man just grinned, watching the pair with his hands folded underneath his chin from where he lay on his stomach in the loft. Rock gave Forte an admonishing glance before speaking again, "We can work something out. This is the last hope I have for getting my brother back, and I don't care what I have to do. If you don't want to come, that's fine. You've already helped me more times than I can thank you for."

"Rock," Forte spoke again, cutting Rock off, "I'm not letting you do that by yourself...c'mon, let's go."

Rock smiled and quietly muttered as he followed Forte out of the tower, "Thanks, Forte..."

Metal Man continued to listen for them until they were out of the tower, then watched out the window until they crossed the barrier of dead animals before turning around and looking to the corner. "Alright," he spoke, "I'm ready to go."

Blues stepped free of the shadows long enough to clasp Metal Man's wrist before disappearing again.

* * * * *

"Everything is going according to plan. Rock and Forte are on their way here, no one is with them, and you...are back with me..." Dr. Wily smiled smugly as he paced the room, ignoring Reggae's squawks of nonsense. He continued to pace the room for a long moment before turning back to his captive audience, disregarding the ever-present grin. "As Blues told you, I am asking two favors -- one for each of your 'payments', and you already know what the first favor is."

"Yes...and is he ready?" Metal Man asked, crossing his arms as he leaned against a metal table, "I won't be able to perform what you want if I don't have _everything_ I need."

"Yes, yes," Dr. Wily answered, waving his hand dismissively, "The knives, the basin, the powder, the sacrifices...and you have the empowered blood. And, of course, I have the subject for the experiment..."

"Good."

"I don't want anything to go wrong," Dr. Wily grunted as he turned his back to Metal Man. "I've been waiting too long to mess up now."

Metal Man smirked and ran his fingers through his hair, eyes half lidded as he stepped around the table, glancing over the equipment he was to use. "Don't worry..." he purred quietly, tracing a finger down the arm of his unconscious "guinea pig", "Everything will go as expected..."

"It had better," Dr. Wily scowled, then shook his head. "Amazing that despite all of his losses, that little blue irritant can still cause me so much trouble."

"His determination is what makes him so strong," Metal Man pointed out, his grin never leaving his face, "His determination to overthrow you...and to find his creator..."

"Stubborn fool," Dr. Wily growled, then paused to look at Metal Man. "Tell me the Legend again."

An eyebrow arched slightly in amusement as Metal Man's grin widened slightly. "The Legend of the chosen one? Very well..." He cleared his throat before closing his eyes and reciting, "_And such came the one chosen over all_, _to that which nature was at his call. Adored and so pure, despite all endured, his safety above all was utterly insured._"

Reggae's hissing voice arose behind Metal Man's, one yellow eye opening as his beak curved into a grin, "_Yet those beware who show no heart; consider this true before you start -- should any harm he who Anubis loves over all, suffer his wrath and you will fall..._"

Dr. Wily arched an eyebrow at Reggae, then smirked at Metal Man. "Heh...I never get tired of hearing it."

"Of course not..." Metal Man responded before turning back to his experimental subject, sliding his fingers over the polished black, red, and yellow armor and the cables connecting to the android's head. His ever-present grin widened. "This should prove to be interesting, to say the least."

* * * * *

"...you know...the forest is kinda creepy at night," Rock observed quietly.

"Yeah it is, a little..." Forte responded as he pushed aside some bushes in front of him, "The edge shouldn't be too far away, though. We can stop for the night then."

"Yeah," Rock nodded in agreement, then jumped when a long howl echoed through the darkness. "...I d-don't know why I'm so unnerved, though...I mean, this place is nothing compared to..." Rock paused, then shook his head. He did not want to bring up Metal Man again.

Forte shook his head a little and held a branch up out of Rock's way, "You just got spooked back there." He remained quiet for a moment longer before looking down at Rock. "What happened yesterday, anyway? He didn't do anything to you while I was gone, did he?"

"Nothing happened...except that he kept scaring me a lot," Rock muttered, shivering. "He's so...different than I remember him."

"I know...I was there when he changed." Forte shook his head again and pulled another branch out of their way. He did not like remembering that. No one who knew Metal Man before he changed did. Rock debated asking Forte what had happened; he was curious to know what could have warped Metal Man into such a monster, but the subject seemed too tender.

However, Forte seemed to sense what Rock wanted to ask and sighed before continuing, "Wily...forced him to play the test subject in an experiment...he wanted to see if it was possible to create a Shadow Warrior artificially since all he had at the time was Shadow Man."

Rock chewed his lip a little. "You don't have to tell me...I mean, if it's too difficult to talk about..."

Forte shook his head. "No, I think it's about time that it stopped being a secret among Wily's ranks. And only a few know exactly what happened -- I'm not one of them, but Centaur Man, Elec Man, and Quick Man are." He raised his arms to stretch and fold his hands behind his head before continuing. "As far as I know, Wily practically tied Metal Man down for the experiment. Everyone in the Fortress could hear him screaming..." Forte looked back down at the ground. "After the experiment was over, Metal Man started...slipping away. Mind-wise, I mean. It wasn't very obvious at first, but if you looked into his eyes you could tell that he was falling apart inside...he started laughing at nothing, started talking to himself -- not just talking, but _answering_ himself, too -- and he developed a temper as well..." Forte glanced at Rock. "I'm sure you remember that the old Metal Man probably didn't even know the meaning of the word, he was so laid back..." Rock nodded. "Well, within a week of the experiment, you couldn't so much as walk the wrong way near him before he was on you.

"It wasn't just a plain _temper_, either...he didn't get angry or enraged, he got...well...frightening...Crash Man tried to confront him about it about two weeks after the experiment. Metal Man ate him..." A faint chill spread through him upon recalling the sight of synthetic blood and artificial bones scattered throughout Metal Man's room. "Wily wanted a Shadow Warrior, but he got..._that_." He waved behind them in the general direction of the rotting town.

Rock winced and looked away into the woods. The experiment had to have been something horrible to affect Metal Man the way it did, and Rock could not imagine what it might have possibly entailed. Metal Man seemed so strong all those years ago...thinking about what he had become made a chill spread up Rock's spine.

Rock yelped sharply and clung to Forte's arm when a bush suddenly rustled as he passed it, rustling again before a rabbit darted out, disappearing deeper into the forest. Rock blinked at that and his face flushed from embarrassment as he slowly pried his grip off of Forte, stammering an apology. "S-Sorry..."

"That's okay," Forte responded before looking ahead, "I think I see the forest's edge just ahead. This is probably a good place to stop for the night so we'll still be sheltered." Rock fidgeted at the thought, but nodded slowly. He wanted to be out of the forest and under the night sky -- out of the forest Metal Man called home -- but Forte was right. If they were ambushed, it would be easier to lose their pursuers among the trees than in a clearing, and if it began raining, they would not get quite as soaked.

Rock helped Forte unpack their supplies for a moment before starting off to find kindling for a fire. Unless he was mistaken, they still had enough food to last them until they reached Lorien to the north which would only take two, maybe three days. Then from there, it was only a matter of renting a boat and crossing the Great Lake to Skull Fortress. The land bridge which separated the Great Lake from the Inner Sea was closer to the small island Skull Fortress resided on, but there was no town to rent a boat from, so Lorien would have to be their last stop.

Rock shook his head and finished filling his arms with kindling before starting back to the temporary campsite. He blinked and frowned when he saw that Forte was swearing to himself as he dug through the two backpacks. "What are you looking for?"

Forte looked up and muttered, shaking his head as he answered, "The other blanket...I think I accidentally left it at the castle." Rock frowned again, though he was not surprised. They had been in such a hurry to leave, it was possible they left behind more than a blanket.

"Is there anything else missing?" he asked as he stacked the firewood into a pile for Forte to light, throwing a few dried, fallen leaves on top to function as a starter for the fire.

"I don't think so..." Forte muttered, searching through both backpacks again before frowning, "No, wait. Yeah, I forgot the lantern, too. Damn..."

"Well, we won't really need that since we can make campfires and we're almost to Lorien, anyway," Rock pointed out.

"We'll need it on the boat to get to the Fortress," Forte stated, "We want to get there at night, remember?" Rock blinked and frowned, having forgotten about that.

"We can buy a new one at Lorien," Rock finally responded with a small shrug, then looked down at the lone blanket, "But we'll probably have to share the blanket until we get there...it's getting pretty cool at night lately."

In the darkness, Rock could not be sure, but he thought he saw Forte's face flush slightly before he replied, "N-No, I'll be fine by the fire. You can have it."

Rock shook his head. "No," he countered, "You'll freeze, and you might get sick. If we're attacked tomorrow, it won't do either of us any good if you're sick."

"It doesn't get that cold yet," Forte huffed.

"Are you sure about that? When was the last time you were in this area?"

"Um...four years ago...?"

"And do you remember what the weather was like four years ago?"

"...no." Forte frowned and Rock nodded, satisfied that he had won the disagreement.

"Besides..." Rock flushed slightly, "I wouldn't mind sharing..."

Forte blinked at that and looked away as he felt himself blush a little brighter. "Well..." he stammered quietly as he kneeled down to use Solandri to light the campfire, "If...if you insist..." Rock gave him a shy smile before lying down, shifting a little to find a comfortable position before he curled up in the blanket and looked up at Forte. Neither was particularly hungry, so they had agreed earlier that they would sleep as soon as they stopped and wait to eat in the morning. Forte checked the fire to make sure it would not spread any farther than it was supposed to and stepped over to slip under his side of the blanket, Solandri placed on the ground beside him within reach.

The night air steadily grew cooler as the fire slowly burned its kindling and dried leaves, the stars shining brightly through the canopy and the veil of smoke from the campfire. Rock stared up at the tiny points of light for several long moments as the events of the past two weeks ran through his mind. He remembered how Forte had saved him that one, rainy night, how everything had changed from that point onward. Until that night, Rock could not remember the last time he had felt so...safe. So sure of himself and of the path before him. Had Forte not appeared when he had...

_ I wouldn't be here..._ Rock realized as he traced figures and images out of the stars he could see through the leaves.

He could still see Forte turning to gaze at him, could still hear him saying to Rock, _"You were just going to sit there and _let_ him kill you."_

_ ...I would have..._ Rock admitted to himself with a small wince. He turned over onto his side to look at Forte whose eyes were closed, one arm tucked underneath his head as a makeshift pillow. Rock chewed his lip slightly as he watched Forte's face. _And even if I hadn't, I don't really know where I would be now...if Forte hadn't offered to help me save Blues...if Elec Man hadn't given me his support...if Ring Man and Quick Man hadn't Healed Forte's concussion...if Centaur Man hadn't told us about Metal Man...I would have lost. Wily would have won._ He let a small smile cross his face at the irony. _One of his strongest creations is helping his greatest adversary..._

Rock watched Forte for a moment longer before reaching up and gently brushing back part of the younger robot's lavender hair. He blinked, then blushed as he lowered his hand again and looked away with a small sigh.

A rustle in the bushes just beyond the temporary campsite made Rock jump, bolting upright. His sudden movement instantly awoke Forte, who sat up as well. "What? What is it?" Forte asked, gripping Solandri tightly in his hand.

"I-I don't know..." Rock stammered after taking a deep breath to calm himself, "P-Probably just another rabbit..." He shook his head and rubbed his face wearily. "I really don't know why I'm still so jumpy...I mean, why would he follow us?" He shuddered at the thought of Metal Man following them, but he could not think of any reason the Blood Scylla could have to do so. "I need to get over being so shaken up..."

"No, you have every right to be jumpy..." Forte answered as tension slowly eased and he let his hand relax from Solandri, "He's unpredictable...but don't worry -- you're safe with me. As long as I'm here, nothing will happen to you."

Rock blinked and slowly turned to look up at Forte. He remembered his dream in Khana, remembered the figure of Forte telling him that, and remembered what Forte said that next morning.

_ "He said good dreams are like wishes, and if you dream it often enough -- wish it enough -- it would eventually come true."_

_ I wish..._

"Rock...?" Forte asked, blinking as Rock stared up at him, "Is something wrong..?"

_ I wish..._

Rock gulped quietly as he watched Forte's eyes. Golden like the color of a dying sunset, violet stripes like the stains a trail of tears left behind.

_ I wish..._

Rock slowly opened his eyes a moment later, his lips pressed against Forte's who stared down at him, completely caught off guard and dumbfounded. Rock pulled back carefully, watching Forte's face for any signs of rejection or disgust and only finding confusion.

"R-Rock...? What..."

Rock blushed and looked down at his hands in his lap as he stammered, "S-Sorry, I...I, um..." He fumbled for an explanation, looking around the improvised campsite -- anywhere but at Forte. "I...d-do you remember...the promise you made me? In th-that barn..." Forte frowned and thought about that for a moment. So much had happened since then...

Finally, he nodded and answered, "Yeah...you asked me to take care of something if anything went wrong, though I still don't know what you meant..."

Rock's face flushed brighter, but he spoke again, "S-Since we're so close to Wily's Fortress...I-I wanted you to...j-just in case he captures me..." He looked away into the woods as he finished in a whisper, "I don't want him...to be my first..."

Forte blinked at that and frowned for a moment before blinking again and blushing as he finally understood. "Y-You want me...t-to...?"

"I-I'm sorry...I should have m-made sure you understood...wh-what you were agreeing to..." Rock apologized.

"N-No, I..." Forte hesitated with a small wince as flashes of his last experience flashed in the back of his memory. He could still feel Dr. Wily's hands sliding over his skin. Forte shook his head. _What am I thinking comparing Rock to Wily..._ He looked back down at Rock and hesitated before asking, "Are...are you sure...?"

"Y-Yes, I'm sure..." Rock answered, blushing, "I'm positive...I...I..." He fell silent again as Forte's lips slowly covered his own, and his fingers ran through Rock's soft brown locks. Rock's eyes drifted closed, and he let the warmth of Forte's arms encircle him as his thoughts finished what he could not speak.

_ I love you, Forte..._

* * * * *

Shadows licked out like tiny wisps of smoke, the scent of blood filling the air as the ebb of magic slowly faded and the spell drew to a close. Dr. Wily shuddered from the after effects of such a strong wave of energy and slowly opened his eyes, sitting up from where he lay on one of the large, metal tables in his laboratory. Metal Man quietly licked the remnants of the fyrlyzards' blood from his hands while the other participant in the experiment quietly stared at the ceiling with empty, lifeless eyes where he lay on his own table, the Trio watching silently from their place by the door.

"Was it a success?" Dr. Wily demanded as he cast Metal Man a sharp look, "Is he linked to my power the way we planned?"

Metal Man grinned and answered with one last lick at his fingers, "See for yourself." Dr. Wily turned to the robot on the table and raised his hand, an action to which the android sat up smoothly and raised his own hand to mimic his creator. Dr. Wily smiled grimly and turned to the Trio, he and the quiet robot extending their right hands. Power was exchanged between creator and creation, and an invisible claw tore out of the android's hand to snare its quarry.

Magnet Man doubled over with a strangled gasp, clutching his chest as he stared at the floor, eyes wide with a pain even he could not bring himself to enjoy. A tiny ray of light shining from Magnet's chest was all the proof that Dr. Wily needed, and he had the new android release his hold on his prized fighter. Magnet slumped into Pharaoh's waiting arms, shivering violently and gasping.

Dr. Wily turned and slid quietly down from the table with a satisfied smile as Pharaoh and Enker helped Magnet back out of the room to recover. "Thank you, Metal Man...this will do nicely..."

Metal Man purred in response, "I'm glad you agree."

Reggae cackled and flew from his perch to rest on Doc Man's shoulder. "We shall see, we shall see...see who the victor of this war shall be..."

"Crucify My Love" -- X-Japan


	13. EC 12: Yubiwa Ring

_Chapter Twelve  
Yubiwa / Ring_

The night sky glittered brilliantly from the light of millions of stars dancing through the vast, blue-black void, the moon full and casting a silvery light down to all below it. Dim lanterns cast further light into the gloom, the yellowish shine paled by that of the moon. The sea lapped quietly against the shore, rocking boats together from where they were docked at the port as seagulls made their last cries for the night. All residents of Khana were inside their houses either sleeping or reading a book by the fire before turning in for the night. Only three stirred, and they were outside the city, walking until they were sure they were out of sight.

"Are you sure you should do this?" Centaur asked with a frown as Quick glanced behind them to check the distance between them and the city, "I mean, you might strain some of your internal injuries...you're still not completely healed, and you won't be able to eat."

Ring shook his head with a small grin as he looked up and answered, "The moon doesn't give me any choice. No lycanthrope, no matter how strong he or she is, can withstand the moon's power." He looked up to the bright moon, directly into the light. "At least I can stretch my wings." His eyes had already begun to change under the pressure of the magical hold of Nott, glistening deep green and showing no white nor pupil. His weakness during the past week due to the effects of the dragonsbane had weakened his control over his change, otherwise he would have been able to hold off even that much of the change until he was certain he was well out of sight of Khana.

"If you insist..." Centaur muttered, shaking his head. He personally did not believe that the moon truly held so much power over lycanthropes, but he did believe that Ring was much too weak still to put up any resistance to the moon's pull despite how powerful a lycanthrope he may have been. He watched Ring as he took a few more steps away and began to shift, the blanket he was given dropping from his shoulders onto the ground. His pale skin promptly turned bronze, littered with darker lines shaping his scales before they began pushing free of his artificial flesh, the soft membrane of his wings sliding into existence as his fingers elongated and his tail pushed out of his backside.

Centaur looked at Quick and asked as Ring finished his change, "Are you going to stay here, or are you going to come back to the house?"

Quick shook his head as he answered, "I'm staying. He'll need help getting out of his skin in the morning."

Centaur nodded as he responded, "Alright. Just come on back if you get hungry or anything. I'll be awake." Quick waved after Centaur, then turned back to Ring.

_ "I think I'll fly around Ivona,"_ Ring spoke with a fang-filled yawn, his voice echoing in the back of Quick's mind, _"I should make it down there before the moon hits its highest point."_

"Okay, just start back here before sunrise," Quick responded before sitting down in the grass. He watched with a small smile as Ring took to the air, great wings stirring dust and grass before he was high enough into the air that he could circle around and begin flying southward. He always loved watching Ring fly. Despite how large a creature they were, wyverns were graceful in the air and extraordinarily fast fliers. He knew that even given Ring's current weak health, he could still fly down to Ivona within the next hour or so.

Quick let out a small sigh and lay back onto the grass to watch the stars. He could not possibly be more thankful to Centaur for being in Khana and Healing Ring, nor could he be more grateful to Rock and Forte for helping him get Ring to Centaur. He was sure that if Ring had not survived, he would not have stayed in this world and would have gone to join Ring in the afterlife if one existed for Anubis' grandchildren.

Upon remembering Rock and Forte, Quick frowned, a thought emerging in the back of his mind.

_ I wonder how they're doing..._

* * * * *

Rock awoke with a small snort as his makeshift pillow suddenly pulled away, dumping him unceremoniously onto the ground. He cracked open his eyes and blinked, watching Forte dress and start to pack everything for a moment before speaking, "What's going on? The moon isn't even at its midpoint yet."

"We have to get out of here," Forte answered, his grip tight on Solandri, "Get dressed and help me pack up -- quick!" Rock blinked at him, but did as he was told, quickly getting dressed and folding the blankets to put away, kicking dirt onto the fire.

After a moment when everything was almost completely packed, Rock looked up with a frown and asked as Forte ignited Solandri's scythe, "What's wrong?"

"I can feel him...Wily's coming after us -- I can feel his power, and it makes me sick. We need to get out of here as soon as possible."

"I don't feel anything..."

"You weren't created by him," Forte answered, shouldering one of their backpacks and quickly starting through the trees, leaving a still confused Rock to catch up with him. Using Solandri's light to guide them through the darkness, they quickly walked through the brush and dodged around the trees through the short remainder of the forest until they reached the edge, and even then, Forte did not stop, watching the surrounding fields cautiously. "Lorien is northwest from here, and as long as I can feel Wily, I'm not going to sleep."

The forest was almost out of sight behind them when Forte suddenly froze, his grip tightening around Solandri as he lashed out and grabbed Rock's arm. Solandri's green light cut through the darkness which the moon's radiance could not dispel and revealed a black, red, and yellow form, malformed face pale and large mouth hanging open, wires trailing from the back of his head to just above where his metallic shoulder blades lay underneath his blatantly artificial skin.

Doc Man stared them down from where he stood on the path before them. Rock clearly remembered the eight times he fought this single robot as he recalled his armor. He knew that Doc could emulate the natural strengths and abilities of any of the Robot Masters. Only the abilities they were originally programmed with, of course -- Rock doubted even the most complicated strings of programming and most powerful enhancement spells could grant Doc the ability to mimic Magnet's lycanthropy or Metal's insanity.

It took a moment for Rock to realize that Doc was alone. No member of the Trio accompanied him, nor any other Robot Master. Rock was not entirely surprised -- Doc was certainly a challenge to fight with his mimicry alone -- but he was nowhere nearly as dangerous as the Trio and their ability to combine their three sides of elemental magic combined with Magnet's lycanthropy. Why did Dr. Wily send _him_?

Doc took a lumbering step forward, his poorly-constructed foot flexing with a hideous creak as his leg attempted to support his massive bulk. Doc's ability to mimic all of the Robot Masters had been one of Dr. Wily's crowning achievements, but once he had perfected it, he had not truly bothered to perfect his body, using only the most basic materials and programming. Doc lacked a soul and the true coherence which made each Robot Master stand out from each other.

Doc paused before completing another step, but in that fraction of a second Rock saw the ghostly image of Quick in full armor appear before Doc. Before Rock could warn Forte, Doc rushed forward with a burst of speed unlike what his body was usually meant to perform, glowing apparitions of small, red boomerangs flying through the air. As they hit something -- be it soil, rock, or artificial flesh -- they faded away, the very little magic power of Doc only able to sustain them that short amount of time. Rock planted his feet apart and returned fire from a distance while Forte ran ahead to slash at Doc with Solandri. As he passed the massive robot, Forte ducked down and swept his hand down over the dirt near Doc's feet with a whispered command. Doc let out a startled shriek of binary as the ground leapt up under his feet, sending him stumbling back several steps. The distraction not only broke Doc's concentration on Quick's power, but gave both Rock and Forte the opportunity and opening for their attack.

Rock released a charged shot which hit Doc in the back just before Forte leapt forward again and slashed at Doc with Solandri's scythe blade, the monstrosity's right arm, torso, and left hip spurting black, oily fluid into the air. With another shriek and an ethereal image of Guts appearing before him, Doc turned and swung his other arm at Forte who easily dodged the slow attack, countering with another slash of Solandri which Doc was barely able to dodge. Sensing that Guts' power was not enough, Doc cancelled out the imitation and switched to another.

Rock let out a startled scream as he was thrown back by a blast of electricity, Elec's lingering power temporarily freezing his systems as he curled in the grass in agony. With Rock momentarily incapacitated, Doc turned to Forte and threw him back as well with another lash of electricity.

Rock hissed and painfully sat up, shaking his head before glancing upward and blinking at the ghostly image of Dr. Wily which misted over Doc for a split second before the monstrosity raised its still functional hand, palm pointed at Forte who had managed to stagger to his feet.

Forte gasped sharply and doubled over, Solandri falling to the ground as the striped robot clutched at his chest, gold eyes wide. A thin thread of white light shined through his fingers into the darkness, followed by another, then another. Doc slowly closed his hand into a fist, and a strangled cry tore free of Forte's throat.

As Rock watched, horrified, Doc jerked his hand back, and a sphere of light was ripped out of Forte's chest. The sphere glowed softly, pulsing as it floated calmly over to Doc who carefully held the ethereal object as it huddled against him. Rock screamed as Forte's body slumped to the ground, lifeless without his soul. Rock ran over to Forte's body and shook him violently, rolling him over onto his back and slapping him as he yelled at him to wake up.

Doc, oblivious, tilted his head at his marred arm. Even his simple mind could figure out that his teleporting device and program had been destroyed. It would be a long walk back to Skull Fortress, but he had what he had been sent for, so there was no rush. He turned to start the long trek back to the Fortress, his shredded and burned arm dripping black fluids onto the dirt pathway and his leg dragging behind him as he shuffled slowly, ignoring Rock's pained voice behind him.

"Forte...Forte! What happened?" Rock whimpered as his hands trembled, clinging to Forte desperately, "Wake up...please wake up..." However, despite Rock's pleas, Forte did not move, did not breathe, his normally pale skin somehow seeming even paler in the bright light of the full moon as it cooled slowly. Without his soul, he was basically dead. _Just like Blues..._

Doc continued on his way, but hissed when a burning shot hit his shoulder. He turned back to the small, blue form, eyes narrowed.

"Give him back..." Rock growled as he charged his cannon, keeping his aim locked onto the monstrosity, "You already have Blues...you killed Roll, Rightot, Beat, and Rush...you've probably killed Dr. Light and Tango, too. I won't let you take him!" Doc let out another startled scream of binary as he stumbled back from Rock's charged shot who followed with another.

"_Give him back_!!"

* * * * *

Elec gripped his sceptre tightly as he tried to find the Ivona High Priest in the chaos. Humans were screaming and running for shelter, and in his world of darkness Elec could not see what was happening, why everyone was so panicked. As he managed to find his way out of the cathedral, he yelped slightly as a rush of wind caught him off guard, his cape billowing behind him as he struggled to maintain his footing. Over the rush of wind, he heard humans screaming something about wyverns, that a wyvern had come to eat them all.

_ A wyvern? Here?_ Elec frowned and lowered his head, using Rakurai's power to concentrate on the world around him. He saw the dark forms of humans rushing back and forth against the somewhat lighter background in an attempt to escape, very few giving off any sort of an aura. He moved the sceptre from side to side to take in more of the area and stopped when he had it look to the sky. He saw the shape of the wyvern high in the air, the silhouette outlined by a bright, bold outline of its dark green aura. He only knew one wyvern who had that strong an aura.

_ Ring?_

_ "Hey Elec!"_ Ring's voice echoed in the back of Elec's mind, making him smile. He raised an arm to wave at the sky and show Ring that he heard him. _"Can you find your way outside the village? I'll land somewhere secluded so we can talk."_ Elec hesitated a moment. It had been so long since he had left the village, he doubted he could make his way out without becoming lost. The last time he had even tried to find the market, the High Priest ended up having to send out a search party. _"Never mind -- I'll guide you. The humans have more or less all made it inside, so you shouldn't run into anyone. Turn to your left and walk until I tell you to stop."_

With Ring's help, Elec slowly made it through the dirt roads of Ivona and outside town to a small patch of trees just beyond the road north leading to Noth and Khana. There, Ring landed just beyond the trees and hopped into the shelter of the miniature forest. _"Okay, stop -- you're about to run into a tree,"_ he cautioned, and Elec stopped, head tilted downward to the ground.

He waited until the sounds of Ring situating himself ceased, then tilted his head as he asked, "So, how have things been? Haven't heard from you in a while."

_ "Oh, they've just been..."_ Ring answered, heaving a sigh as he rested his head on the ground, _"I drank some dragonsbane a few weeks ago like an idiot, but we found Rock and Forte along the way to find a Healer, and they helped us get to Khana. Did you know that Centaur's there? I knew he escaped, but I never heard anything about him after that."_

"No, I didn't," Elec answered, feeling around behind him for a moment before he rested his back against the trunk of a tree, "You met Rock and Forte? How are they? It's been about two weeks since they came through here..."

_ "Yeah, last I knew they were okay."_ Ring hesitated for a long moment before slowly stating, _"When they left Khana, they...were going to see Metal."_ Elec fell silent, his grip tightening on Rakurai. He never liked remembering Metal's final days at Skull Fortress before he escaped -- never liked remembering watching the last shreds of sanity flying away from Metal four years past. It had been so long...he shuddered to think of how far Metal's insanity had progressed in four years.

"Did Centaur Heal you?" Elec asked after a moment, changing the subject.

_ "Yeah. The good thing is that I'll heal pretty soon because I'm a lycanthrope. Unfortunately, my stomach was destroyed by the dragonsbane, so I can't eat yet."_

"I can imagine. What--"

_ Help!_

Ring's head shot up, the beginnings of a sonic shriek rumbling deep in his chest as he looked around. Elec took a step small step forward, tilting his head to the wind as he listened to the screaming, yet somehow silent cry for help. "Stand down, Ring..." he whispered after a moment, positive that the lycanthrope could hear him. Ring hissed, but crouched back down even as the breeze carried the cry to them once more.

_ "Recognize it?"_ Ring asked cautiously, bright green eyes narrowing.

"Yeah, I do," Elec answered simply, his voice still a whisper.

_ "Where did it come from?"_ Ring asked with a shallow hiss before standing back up, spreading his wings.

Elec closed his eyes behind his blindfold and tilted his face to the sky, feeling the breeze on his skin as the cries faded into the night. He tilted his head back down and blindly opened his eyes once again. "Northeast."

Ring spread his wings to their full extent and shrieked as Elec made his way over to him. Ring crouched down again just long enough to let Elec secure himself on his back before he flapped his large wings and took to the air, disappearing into the night sky.

* * * * *

Rock sniffed and wiped at the tears on his face with his sleeve as he tried to use Solandri to light a small fire. The trident blade was broken -- the mechanism which ignited the fiery green blade almost severed from the rest of the shaft. After his fifth attempt at a fire, the leaves finally began to smoke, the twigs began to burn. He sat back on his heels and rubbed his hands together over the spurt of flame, the night's wind seeming to cut straight through his once-white clothing to chill him to his very metallic bones. Forte was on the other side of the fire, wrapped up in every blanket they had been carrying. His lifeless body had been wrapped up carefully by Rock's gentle hands just ten minutes prior, and Rock quietly reminded himself that he needed to clean and dress their wounds from the fight with Doc.

Remembering Doc nearly made new tears cloud his vision. The monstrosity had gotten away with Forte's soul even after Rock's barrage of attacks and charged shots. First he had taken the attributes of Star to erect a shield and protect himself from the smaller robot's attacks, then Doc had mimicked Hard's power. Rock was sure he had several bruised ribs from the Hard Knuckle which had struck him in the torso, though that had not been the battle's deciding blow. That had been executed when Doc mimicked Elec, the powerful Thunder Beam easily incapacitating Rock and making Doc's escape route clear. When Rock had regained consciousness, Doc was already a large, dark spot on the horizon.

Rock wiped at his face again and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly as he muttered to himself, "Have to think...have to think...I beat him before. Now -- just have to remember how I did it." He hugged himself and huddled closer to the fire as he muttered the strategies he had used against each of the Robot Masters Doc could imitate, most of which he had defeated with only his arm cannon at one point or another. "If I can get him to change to Guts or maybe Stone..."

"...then you'll only be destroyed," a quiet voice whispered in his ear.

Rock yelled and tried to spin around, but he was restrained, strong arms tightening their grip around him as a lithe body pressed against his back. He looked over his shoulders and into eyes like candle flames dancing in the wind, and the second his eyes met those, he felt his blood run cold.

"M-Metal...?"

"That scream was priceless," came the purring response as Metal nuzzled Rock's cheek and down his neck to his shoulder, "The pain of losing him...and you know he'll truly die as soon as Doc returns to Wily."

Rock shuddered, trying to squirm out of Metal's arms as he demanded, his voice shaking, "Wh-What do you want?"

Metal grinned, swiping his tongue out to lick Rock's nose before answering, "Did you really think that I was _helping_ you? You two really are naive. I can only be allies to one side at a time."

It took a long moment for that to sink in, and Rock shivered again, beginning to feel as if the world was crashing down around his feet. "Y-You...you tricked us...a-and helped Wily...?!"

"But of course," Metal purred, "I used the fyrlyzards to connect Doc to Wily -- giving him Wily's ability to rip out his creations' souls." He nipped at Rock's ear with a small, contented sigh. "Of course, Doc can't destroy a soul -- he has to take it back to Wily for that..."

"B-But...wh-what about..."

"Blues?" Metal laughed, a soft, husky sound -- a mockery of what it had once been so long ago. "Any Necromancer could push his soul back into him provided they're powerful enough. We have a natural affinity with the dead after all, and soulless robots are basically zombies -- the walking dead."

Rock could only stare at him, blue-green eyes wide and disbelieving. He thought Metal had truly been helping them, that he would finally be able to help his brother. He felt as if something inside him had just shattered -- the hope of ever living in peace again, of ever being with any member of his family again.

He yowled as a wave of fiery pain coursed through him which quickly turned to numbness, sending him onto the ground on his back and staring up at Metal with tear-filled, shocked eyes. Metal crouched over him, one hand on either side of Rock's head, and one knee on either side of his hips. The paralysis spell Metal had cast on him prevented Rock from moving anything but his head, and he knew that the spell would very likely last as long as Metal wished it to.

"Now...I don't care if Wily disapproves or not, but I'm going to take part of my payment right now," Metal purred, grinning smugly as he reached up to touch Rock's face, "You see, his end of the bargain was that I could keep you and Forte as my own to do with whatever I wish. I'm not truly interested in Forte..._you_ on the other hand..." Rock's body managed to shiver as the black-gloved hand traced down his neck and the center of his chest. "I know how you've felt about me, though you were never brave enough to admit it out loud..." Metal laughed again. "That will just make this even more enjoyable."

Rock shuddered again and shook his head, the tears beginning to flow in spite of himself. "N-No...Metal...you're not like this...you never were...this isn't _you_..." He bit back a thin whimper as Metal's hands traced their way down past his waist and over his legs. "You're not like this...p-please, snap out of it...snap out of whatever Wily did to you..."

Metal looked down at him, eyes half lidded as he grinned for a moment before laughing out loud and looking down at Rock again. "You don't get it, do you?" His eyes widened, as did his grin, the glint of insanity beginning to fade into something darker and more sinister. "Haven't you figured it out by now?"

Rock's voice came out in a tiny, whimpering whisper. "F-Figured...wh-what out...?"

Metal leaned back over him completely, his voice degrading to a low, scratchy rasp and his eyes widening even more until they suddenly sank into his skull, black smoke billowing out of the cavities where they had once been. It was all Rock could do to hold back his scream as Metal leaned closer down to his face.

_ "Metal's not home..."_

* * * * *

The moon was still high in the sky and Quick was amazed that he continued to hear the cry over the rush of wind in his face as he held on for dear life. He could have run by himself, but he would have risked overheating the hydraulic pumps and fluids in his legs after half an hour; whereas, Centaur could run at top speed for over a day without a break in his quadruped form. Quick often wondered how, but gave up asking long ago, content with Ring's answer: "He's magikal~"

Quick yelped and tightened his grip on Centaur's waist as he jumped over a rotten log and dove into the Plains. He vaguely wondered if Ring had heard the silent cry for help as well, but something told him that he had and was on his way as well.

Centaur's mind was awhirl as he galloped through the grass, the last half hour a complete blur. When he had first heard the cry, he had immediately leapt into action; he rushed to one of his neighbors and arranged for them to check up on and walk his animals every day until he returned. He always loved his neighbors for that -- they always complied and never asked questions or complained. After the arrangements had been made, he had run into Quick on the way out of the city, and both had agreed that riding Centaur's quadruped form would be the fastest way to get to their destination.

_ And I'm still not entirely sure what that is..._ Centaur admitted to himself with a frown. They were both just following the plea for help, and he could tell that it was growing gradually stronger as they made their way northeast. Centaur jumped over a crevice as he weaved through the tall grasses, wind blowing and spreading the cloud of dust which was kicked up by his hooves.

Over the sound of the wind rushing past his ears and noise of his hooves stopping into the soil, he just barely heard Quick ask, "Do you think Ring heard it, too?"

"If we're lucky, yeah, and Elec too," Centaur answered as he narrowed his eyes, "I don't know what's going on, but I'm sure they're on their way."

_ I just hope we get there in time..._

* * * * *

The sun was starting to try to show itself on the horizon, but he knew it would not shine for long as dark clouds quickly began to form together and cover the sky. The clouds matched his mood -- dark and dreary, leaving as little room for hope as they did for the sun. A quick, limping trek back to the forest had given him enough fallen limbs, leaves, and vines to make an equivalent of a stretcher. It slid along the ground fairly smoothly, thick layers of mud holding the limbs in place. Two vines had been tied around his shoulders so that he could pull the stretcher behind him, and he ignored the way his thighs and backside screamed in pain with each movement. He hoped he had managed to clean his wounds enough to prevent infection, but he decided that he would worry about that later. He had to prevent Doc from reaching Dr. Wily first.

Doc's footprints were easy enough to follow -- one foot was placed very shortly before a long drag in the dirt -- and it was simple to tell that the monstrosity was limping worse than Rock; however, Doc had almost a two hour head start. It had taken a little over an hour to make the stretcher for Forte's body, and before that Metal had arrived.

Rock shuddered almost convulsively as he remembered what Metal had done to him. He could still feel Metal's lips on his throat, feel his teeth sinking into his shoulders and drawing blood. He could still feel Metal's tongue snaking its way inside him to lick at the wounds and drink down his blood.

Rock shuddered again before he took a deep breath and continued walking, speeding up his pace. After Metal had finished with Rock, Doc had returned and an argument had started. Rock could not understand much binary, but he had deciphered the main points of the argument as Metal's spell wore off. Doc had wanted Metal to take him back to the Fortress, but Metal had refused, saying that he had already fulfilled his "end of the bargain" and that Doc could limp back on his own.

Rock could not complain about that -- it had delayed Doc just enough that Rock had a small hope that he might be able to catch up with him. If only the rain held out until he had the monstrosity in sight...

However, Isis was not smiling upon him that day. The clouds opened up and released their load of water within twenty minutes, quickly erasing the trail of dragging footprints on the trail. With the dirt turning into mud and making it harder to walk, Rock could only hope that Doc had not trailed off of the road. He only stopped long enough to pull a blanket out of his pack and drape it over Forte's body to shield him from the rain if only for a few moments before the blanket was soaked, then he began walking again.

It seemed like another hour had passed before he saw the large, hunchbacked form of Doc in the distance. Rock had not realized how close he had gotten to the strange creation until he looked up from the ground, and even then, the rain in his face made it hard to tell if he was right, but one overheard squeak of binary as Doc tried to pull his marred leg out of the mud was all Rock needed for confirmation.

Doc looked up sharply when he heard a scream of rage only to be hit in the face by a charged shot. He stumbled back a limping step before hissing and deciding on a form to mimic as Rock ran at him in full armor.

Rock managed to dodge the first surge of Elec's lightning power, but the second hit him in the stomach, sending him on his back in the mud. It stunned Rock just long enough for Doc to pull his damaged leg out of the mire it was trapped in, then the monstrosity switched power as it remembered the combination which had incapacitated Rock earlier.

Rock yelled in surprised agony as he was knocked back into the mud by a Hard Knuckle. He hissed sharply as another hit his side with a wet pop of cracked bones. A third left him on the ground, curled up and clutching his marred ribcage. A series of coughs which followed left a warm, coppery substance in the back of his throat, and he hissed again, shivering. _If that's one of my lungs getting punctured, I'm going to be _very_ upset._

He looked up to find the mimic standing over him, an ethereal image of Elec appearing once more. Doc's hand began to glow as he limped back a few paces to give himself room to use Elec's powerful Thunder Beam. Rock shakily pushed himself up to his knees, but almost collapsed again as a wave of coughing brought up a mouthful of blood which he spit out. He panted for a brief moment to regain his breath before glaring back up at Doc. The golden light of the charging Thunder Beam was almost too harsh to gaze upon, so Rock closed his eyes and lowered his head.

_ If you care at all, Anubis...help...this can't be how it ends..._

Something shook the ground in front of him just before he heard Doc release the surge of electricity. The searing pain he was expecting never came -- instead, the sound of the crackling lightning and the smell of ozone was followed by a familiar, ear-piercing shriek. Rock's eyes snapped back open and he stared up at the new form between him and the mimic.

"Filthy, monstrous wretch!" Elec snarled from his mount atop Ring's scaled back, Rakurai held high over his head and glowing brightly from the absorbed Thunder Beam, "Not only do you try to mimic _me_, but you don't even do it right!" Doc tried to drag himself out of the way, but was blown backwards when the lightning was focused in his direction and released from Elec's enchanted sceptre just before the blind Robot Master slid his way down Ring's back and onto the ground.

_ "Are you sure you can handle him?"_ Ring asked as he began to change back. He knew Rock needed to be tended to immediately, and while he was not a true Healer, he had just enough power in that area to at least stabilize Rock.

"No problem," Elec answered, "He's not worth the parts Wily built him out of." With Rakurai's enchantment, he could easily see the multicolored, almost rainbow-like aura surrounding Doc despite how thin it was. Doc's heavy, dragging footsteps were also very easy to hear over the sound over the falling rain so that even if he did not have Rakurai, Elec could have heard the dragging of Doc's feet and been able to tell what direction he was coming from. The only thing he could not anticipate without the enchanted sceptre was which attacks Doc was using and which Robot Master he was impersonating. As Doc began shuffling towards him, he yelled at the mimic, "Come on, you pile of slag!"

Rock looked up with blurred vision at Ring's pale form as the lycanthrope tore free of his shed, reptilian skin and made his way over to the blue-armored robot. Rock let a weak smile cross over his face and shakily asked, "Wh-Where'd...you come...from...?" He tried to ask something else, but was broken off by another fit of coughing.

"Shh, don't talk," Ring crooned as he kneeled beside him, "Lie down on your side so you won't choke on anything you cough up." Rock nodded and quietly did as he was told, lying down on his right side with Ring's help. He stayed quiet as Ring's magic flowed through him to assess the damage, a cool, soothing feeling that made Rock want to close his eyes before Ring's voice brought him back to reality. "I'd say you've got about four broken ribs, and one of them sliced open your left lung," the lycanthrope muttered, "I can Heal your lung, but Elec will have to fix the broken bones." Ring tilted his head and let his power flow through the rest of Rock's body to see if there was any more damage. "I think you might have a minor short in your right shoulder, too, from Doc imitating Elec...and..." He frowned when the spell slid through Rock's waist and down past his legs. "...Rock, who...?"

"...Metal..." Rock replied quietly, and he was thankful that Ring did not say anything further on that. Ring simply fell quiet and began Healing what he could despite the fight in the background.

After several moments, Elec felt his way back over to them, muttering, "Piece of junk. I don't know why Wily bothers repairing him."

"Did you kill him?" Ring asked through his concentration.

"Yeah -- there was really no getting around it," Elec answered before kneeling down beside the two robots, reaching out and feeling for Rock's hand to hold it. Rock gave him a weak smile though he knew his brother could not see it, closing his eyes until his vision returned to normal. "Need me to help with anything?"

"Yeah, he's got some broken ribs and a joint or circuit board on the fritz in his other shoulder."

"Let me finish up -- you're probably exhausted from changing and still recovering from that dragonsbane." Ring nodded and crawled back to give Elec room.

"Thanks, I--" Heavy footsteps on wet grass made him look up sharply, turning his enhanced eyesight to the horizon. He knew it was too far away for the other two to hear, but he could tell what direction it was coming from. "Well, what do you know..." he muttered and crossed his arms when he saw two familiar forms in the distance -- one green and one red -- moving quickly in their direction. "They'll be upset that they missed the action."

Elec looked up, blinking behind his blindfold, "Who?"

"Centaur and Quick. Good thing, too -- I think it's going to take Centaur to Heal that shorted-out shoulder."

Elec started to say something else, but was cut off when Rock suddenly looked up, eyes snapping open as he remembered something very important. "Forte...his soul...Doc, he..." Rock gasped through the pain of Elec Healing his broken bones.

"Don't worry, Rock," Ring answered as he knelt back down beside the blue form, "He's right over there." Rock craned his neck to look in the direction of Forte's body and blinked when he saw the small ball of pulsing light slowly floating back to its body from where Doc had thrown it in the fight. "He'll stay with his body..." Rock sighed, lowered his head back down to the ground, and closed his eyes once more. Now that they had Forte's soul back and Quick and Centaur were coming as well, he just needed to rest, then they could see if Metal had been telling the truth before.

_ I hope he was...Necromancers shouldn't be too hard to find..._

* * * * *

The rain was causing the image on the screen to blur and distort as it fell into Reggae's eyes from where he was flying in the air watching the entourage, but Dr. Wily could still easily see what was happening. His hands were gripping the arms of his chair tightly, his knuckles turning white from the pressure. His gaze was locked onto the monitor, eyes narrowed as he snarled low in his chest.

"He's the one...gods above, he's the one..." He slammed a fist down on the intercom button and roared for the Trio to come to the control room, still unable to take his eyes off of the screen even as Enker, Magnet, and Pharaoh slid into the room and asked what he needed. "I want you to capture Rock and bring him to me -- _alive_," the Scion snapped, hissing, "I don't care how many others you have to kill or torture to do it, just make it happen! And bring back Doc's body!"

"Yes sir," Enker acknowledged quietly before leaving with his Dua and Una.

Dr. Wily continued to glare at the monitor before he slammed his fist down on the keyboard again, shutting off the relay. He stood up and snarled again.

"I know who you are now, Rock...you won't escape me, Anubis' Chosen..."

"Yubiwa / Ring" -- Ma'aya Sakamoto  
"Escaflowne"


	14. EC 13: Daytime Moon

**A/N:** This was finished Friday, I swear! But then FF.net decided to be a little twit and disabled all uploading until today. TT; So blame them, not me! *shot*

_

Chapter Thirteen  
Daytime Moon

_

"Are you sure you don't need help with him?" Rock asked as he glanced over his shoulder at Ring.

"I'm a werewyvern, Rock," Ring answered with a small grin, "I could carry ten of him and not break a sweat." He switched the vines connected to the makeshift stretcher from one hand to the other as he dragged Forte's body behind him. Centaur had offered to pull it with his equine half, but Ring had insisted that he pull it in case any of those who had Healing power had missed any injuries Rock sustained or in case they were attacked again and the Healers were needed elsewhere. "What I'd like right now are clothes that fit. Rock, are you anorexic?"

Rock choked, "_No_, I'm not anorexic! You're just fat!" He glanced back at Ring again with a grin. Rain was still falling and soaking them and the blanket over Forte had been changed three times already. Rock had given Ring one of his spare pairs of pants since Ring's own spares in Quick's backpack would only become drenched and muddy before he could put them on. It helped that Ring was only a few inches taller than Rock so that the slacks were not too short, but Rock was definitely much more lithe than the Northerner.

"Ah, hush," Ring countered. Rock shook his head and turned back to the road for a moment before he looked down to the softly glowing sphere he held in his arms. Forte's soul was huddled against his chest, the rain passing right through it to add to the moisture already accumulated in muddy sleeves.

"We should make it to Lorien before high sun tomorrow," Quick stated, "I think it will have stopped raining before then. It's started to let up already."

"How did you find me?" Rock asked, glancing at the others. He had been curious about that for the past several hours.

"We all heard a cry for help and felt an enormous urge to come in this direction," Centaur answered from where he walked beside Elec. He was letting Elec hold his arms so that the older robot would not trip over anything. "We didn't know it was you until we found you, though I think we sort of recognized the voice."

Rock blinked and glanced over at him. "All the way in Khana?" He looked at Elec. "And Ivona?"

"I can't explain it, Rock," Elec responded quietly, "It was like it was carried on the wind, but we didn't actually _hear_ it. It was more telepathic than auditory." Rock frowned, now even more confused, but he dropped the subject. There was no point in asking if no one knew the answer.

"You know..." Ring suddenly spoke once more, catching everyone else's attention, "If Centaur's feeling up to running again, we can probably make it by nightfall. I can carry Forte and Rock."

Centaur arched an eyebrow as he responded, "My legs are a little tired, but I could make it carrying Elec and Quick. But what about you? Changing is tiring, isn't it?"

Ring shrugged. "It is, but I can do it one more time."

"Just don't wake him up before high sun tomorrow," Quick spoke with a grin.

"Exactly."

Centaur shrugged and took a few steps away, as did Ring. Rock watched Centaur -- he had already seen Ring shift, but he had to admit that he was curious about Centaur's change. It was not nearly as spectacular nor grotesque as Ring's -- Centaur's body from the waist down shined brightly for a moment before it was replaced by the larger equine body. During the process, his armor was also recalled -- green and gold with a triple-horned helmet just as Rock remembered it.

He jumped when something nudged against his back and glanced over his shoulder to find himself looking into one of Ring's large, green eyes where he was crouched down low enough so that Quick could secure Forte's body onto Ring's back, between his wings.

_ "Let's go."_

* * * * *

"Centaur, can I ask something?"

Centaur blinked and looked up from the market stall he was browsing, the morning sunlight filtering through the thin clouds to slowly dry the mud left over from the storm the day before. "What is it?"

Rock tilted his head and continued after carefully putting some apples and oranges he had bought into a backpack where they would not get bruised, "After running all that way from Khana, then to here carrying both Elec and Quick, um...how come you're not as exhausted as Ring...?" He blushed lightly and rubbed the back of his neck, remembering how Roll always chided him for being too curious and nosy about things that really were not his business.

However, Centaur just laughed and turned back to the market stall to buy some bread for their journey. "Oh, that. Well, my two lower halves have different power supplies, and the one for my quadrupedal half is much, much greater than my two-legged half." He decided on three loaves -- two white and one wheat -- and put them into his own pack after paying. "So I can run for much greater distances with the former than I can the latter. And my equestrian half has a completely different set of lungs. I can switch between the two sets as I run to keep them from getting too tired and overheating."

Rock blinked at that. "Wow...your creator must have spent a lot of time planning for things like that when he built you."

Centaur looked down with a wistful smile as he whispered to himself, "Yeah...they did..." He looked back up and turned at the sound of footsteps drawing near, a more genuine smile crossing his face as he recognized the red-armored android nearing them.

"Quick! How's Ring doing? Is he still passed out?" Rock asked teasingly, to which Quick laughed.

"Yeah, basically," the Rosicrucian answered, "Elec is guarding them both. Shifting more than once in twenty-four hours is extremely tiring, but he should be ready to get on the road again by tomorrow morning." He frowned. "I just hope we don't get bushwhacked again -- or at least not so badly that he needs to shift again."  
"Why?" the eldest asked.

"Shifting too many times in a row or staying shifted for too long at one time can make a lycanthrope retain some beast characteristics in its non-changed form," was the answer, "Like the pupils of his eyes could start shrinking or become slitted like a reptile's to look more like his wyvern form, or his teeth could become more bestial in appearance -- sharper and less normal, like Magnet's."

Centaur nodded. "Yeah, I saw a werelion once whose teeth had changed changed so much, he didn't have flat molars anymore -- just his beast's sharp incisors and canines. Made eating a bitch. Changes like that can't be Healed, though I tried." He shrugged and looked back to Quick. "Did you find out if there's a Necromancer in town who can help Forte?"

Quick shook his head as he answered, "No, there isn't. Not a single one in town. Someone said our best bet is Moria in the mountains to the southeast, and if not there, then Muse, southwest of Khana." He scowled. "And Muse is too close to Cossack's area for my comfort." Rock winced and looked down at the ground. He thought that would probably be the case -- Lorien was not a large town by any stretch of the imagination and did not even have a town Healer -- but it was still a rather depressing revelation. They were so close to Skull Fortress, so close to being able to steal Blues' body and soul, but they all wanted to have Forte back up and around before even attempting it.

"Oh yeah," Quick continued, turning back to Centaur, "Elec did a small scan Ring while he was asleep and he thinks his stomach may be recovered enough to enable him to eat when he wakes up. Can you double check when you get back to the inn?"

Centaur nodded and answered, "Yeah, I can. Actually..." He turned to Rock. "Can you finish getting supplies while I do that?"

"Sure!" he replied with a small smile, "We just need some meat, blankets, and a lantern, I think. I'll take care of it." He glanced at Quick. "Want me to see if I can find someone to sharpen Kai for you?"

"Nah, I've got a whetstone in Ring's pack, but thanks for offering."

He waited until Centaur and Quick had disappeared into the growing morning crowd before turning away to begin looking for a stall which sold meat. It was going to be a long journey to Moria, but meat wasn't needed quite as much as bread and vegetables -- they could always go hunting on the way.

_ But it won't be easy going all that way dragging Forte's body..._ Rock admitted with an inward sigh. Despite his soul being separated from his body, just like Blues he was technically still alive. If something attacked them and injured his body, he could still bleed to death or the wound could become infected if Centaur or one of the others with Healing powers could not get to him in time. Rock sighed again. He could only hope that there would be a Necromancer in Moria who was willing to help him.

* * * * *

The setting sun dazzled across the Great Lake with spectacular shades of pink, red, violet, and traces of yellow, sparkles of light flitting over the waving water growing dimmer as Freyr slowly disappeared behind the horizon. It was fairly early in the day for Freyr to be retiring which, combined with the chilling bite gathering in the wind, meant that Ullr and Hel were beginning to form their yearly partnership -- preparing to cause a slow death throughout the region for two seasons. First the leaves would fall from the trees and the grass would slowly die, then the birds would disappear from the sky as they frantically flew to new regions where Ostara and Iduna still reigned in an attempt to avoid the widespread death of winter.

There was a sharp yelp followed by a pained groan as something heavy flopped to the ground with a dull thud, tearing him from his thoughts. The scent of blood was strong, though he could tell that it was little in amount -- only enough to subdue the victim. Regardless, the smell was almost heavenly, reminding him of the meal he had indulged in just the night before when Nott's power had been at its peak.

Magnet turned to face the source of the scent and looked down to the ground to see a human man, clothes torn and spotted lightly with droplets of blood. From the dark brown skin color, it was obvious he was from Lorien -- never mind the fact that the town was only a mile or so away from the Lakeshore. The human stared up at him for a moment before curling up and squeezing his eyes shut, whispering a prayer to Sekhmet which only elicited a snort from the weregargoyle. Being as close as it was to the Great Lake, the people of Lorien always anticipated attacks from the fortress in the center of the Lake. This one just happened to drop his guard.

"My, my, what is this? A present for me? You shouldn't have..." Magnet teased as Enker stepped free of the trees where he had tossed down the human.

"I didn't," Enker snapped irritably, then frowned, "Where's Pharaoh?"

"Helping Doc shake all the water out of his systems. Wily teleported him right into a lagoon." Magnet looked back down at the human. "What's he for?"

"Messenger," the Tria answered before kicking the human in the ribs, "Rock is staying in your inn. You're going to deliver a message to him for us."

"I-I...c-can't write..." came the whimpering, terrified reply.

Enker's green eyes remained blank as he countered, pulling Ryuujin from her place at his back, "Who said you had to? Hold him down and keep him quiet, Mags."

Muffled by Magnet's hand, no one heard his screams.

* * * * *

"Whoa," Quick muttered as he leaned over the table to look down at the map Centaur had spread out over it, "A cloth map...I haven't seen one of those in ages."

"They don't tear as easily as paper maps, so you don't end up with holes in important places," Centaur replied with a shrug, "Of course, the ink can wash off if you don't use the right kind. It was one of the few things I was able to grab before I left my house." He glanced over his shoulder to the back of the room. "Do you want me to describe it for you?" At the negative shake of Elec's head, he turned back to the table and pointed to the northeastern section of the map. "Here's Lorien. In order to get to Moria, we're going to have to go through the Shadow Forest to the east and make our way southeast to the mountains. From there we've probably got about another day's worth of climbing the mountain path before we get there."

"And if we get there and they don't have a Necromancer who'll help us, I'm going to be very pissed off," Ring piped in, crossing his arms.

"You're not the only one..." Rock sighed from where he was sitting at the table, Forte's soul pulsing softly in his lap. He looked back up at Ring before asking, "Are you sure you'll be rested up enough to leave tomorrow morning?"

"I'm sure, Rock, and I'll be able to drag Forte most of the time. I--" Ring abruptly cut himself off and snapped his head to the side, narrowing his eyes as he sniffed the air. The sharp, coppery scent of blood was not too far away, slowly growing nearer as it wafted down the outside hall of the inn from the stairway leading down to the now empty tavern. "Someone's coming this way," Ring whispered after a moment of silence, "And I smell blood -- lots of it." A few long moments passed before Rock jumped at the sound of something falling against the door from behind it. Centaur and Quick did not say anything as they both leapt to their feet and positioned themselves on either side of the door. Ring stayed behind Rock as he slowly stood up to cautiously answer the door.

As the door opened, it gradually revealed the dark-skinned form of the innkeeper, blood thick in the air around him. His dark brown eyes were glazed over from agony, staring away at nothing. His shirt was missing and the legs of his pants were tattered and soaked with still drying blood. Quick was the first forward to touch his arm and help him inside, but after one step, the human collapsed to the floor despite Centaur's attempt to catch him.

Rock dropped to his knees and reached out to touch his shoulder, but pulled his hand back when he saw the copious amounts of blood glistening in the light of the lanterns, the still bleeding wounds dark against the human's skin. It only took a moment for those assembled to become enraged at the sight of the wounds, and Ring quickly retrieved Elec as they, Quick, and Rock rushed out of the room, Rock recalling his armor as they made their way outside. As they left, Centaur carefully picked the human up and rested him on the other bed, setting himself to Healing the wounds -- the wounds which formed a note addressed to Rock from the Trio.

* * * * *

Dr. Wily was very pleased with how things were going so far -- there was no way that Rock would be able to win this time even with the aid of four traitorous Robot Masters. As soon as the Trio and Doc returned, then the Legend could be put into motion.

"_And such came the one chosen over all_, _to that which nature was at his call_," he whispered to himself, his grin widening as he arrived at the bottom-most floor of his Fortress, the underground level, "_Adored and so pure, despite all endured, his safety above all was utterly insured..._"

He pulled free a small device from one of the deep pockets of his labcoat and carefully eased it into a specially-made hole in a door once he came to the last door at the end of the underground level. Peering through the small window and into the dark room beyond the door, he aimed and pulled the trigger of the device. A roar of surprise was muffled by specialized soundproofing technology, and Dr. Wily took a step back as the room was filled with bright flames of rage. He waited several moments before pulling on a pair of thick gloves and opening the door, breathing in the scent of choked-out flame and charred, still-smoking flesh. He knew the fire had not caused the charring -- that honor went entirely to the silver chains and shackles which bound now-blackened wrists and held them above the captor's head, connecting them to the ceiling. Two more shackles bound the captor's ankles and secured them to the floor, spread apart to lessen any possible movement. The form was asleep now thanks to a dart lodged into his ribcage, and it was now safe for the Scion to approach him.

Dr. Wily continued gleefully as he pulled out a large syringe from his other coat pocket, checking the amount of fluid before he lowered it to the dangling robot's neck, "_Yet those beware who show no heart; consider this true before you start -- should any harm he who Anubis loves over all, suffer his wrath and you will fall..._" The fluid was injected, yet the robot did not move -- and would not move until the Scion injected a counter-sedative into him or until forty-eight hours had passed. The sedative was a new formula Dr. Wily had created specifically for lycanthropes. The dosage of the proper chemicals was high enough to negate the extremely high metabolism of lycanthropes -- of course, if it was ever introduced to a normal robot or human's bloodstream, the victim would die within a matter of minutes.

Dr. Wily shook his head and grinned again as he reached up to trace his fingers down the cheek of the sleeping robot. "It's a good thing I didn't kill you when I had a chance...and a good thing that he wasn't able to kill you. You will prove useful to me in the coming nights once I have captured Rock." He laughed and took a step back to glance over the unconscious form. "I know your body will be anxious to be able to shift after my suppressing it for so long...how long has it been? Has it truly been almost ten years since you became this? And he hasn't suspected a thing...he truly thought that he had killed you." He laughed, then reached up to disconnect the shackles from the chain on the ceiling, letting the body drop heavily to the floor. "My, my, if he knew...well. If he knew, I never would have gotten him to agree to the Trio, would I?" The chains on the floor were disconnected as well, and a Sniper Joe was called in to carry away the captor. "No matter...I may well kill you anyway once I've used you to help me defeat Anubis." Dr. Wily laughed again and followed the Joe, closing the door to the room behind him.

* * * * *

The moon was fairly high in the sky, finally visible through the canopy as they arrived at a rocky clearing in the forest. Magnet was already shifted to his weregargoyle form, standing between Pharaoh and Enker and Doc was shuffling around the edge of the clearing to keep his still water-logged joints from freezing up and rusting. Blues stood atop the highest rock in the outcropping beside Metal who lazed like a content cat over one of the flatter rocks.

"You're late," Magnet rumbled before he turned to Pharaoh and Enker, his tongue lolled out to the side as if he was grinning, "Maybe we should have killed the fleshbag instead and dumped the body in the inn lobby."

Rock growled, a bright blue figure standing out against the growing dark, his hands clenched into fists as he snapped at the red lycanthrope, "Why? Why did you have to hurt an innocent man like that?! You could have just come to the inn in person!"

"And where would the fun in that be?" was Pharaoh's mocking reply.

"Why attack when we're so close to the Fortress already?" Quick had to ask, "Why not just wait until we got to the island and ambush us there when you'd have an advantage?"

"Because we have something we need to do," came the rumbling answer from Magnet's furred throat, "And I think we'd better get started on that." He grinned, his long, pink tongue lolling out to the side. "Shall we?"

Doc was the first to attack, mimicking Elec and casting a Thunder Beam across the clearing. Quick jumped aside from the attack and reached back to take Kai from its place at his back before he countered, deciding Doc was the most dangerous of the six assailants since not only could he mimic their abilities, but he also knew their weaknesses. He had to be stopped before he had a chance to take upon the abilities of Flash or any of the fire or bladed Masters. Quick was bringing Kai down upon Doc's shoulder when he was knocked aside by searing heat which left him on the ground, dazed. Had he known that it was coming, he could have easily deflected or even dispelled the attack with his own fire magic.

Quick looked up when he could see straight again and hissed. This was not going to be as easy as he had hoped. Because of the triumvirate and the fact that Magnet was a lycanthrope, Pharaoh could almost match Quick's specially enhanced speed.

"I don't think so," Pharaoh taunted him, "You want to take him out, you'll have to go through me."

Ring dodged to the side from Magnet's claws and leapt away when he heard Enker approach from behind. He did not have to see it in order to know that Enker had lined the blade of his spear with a silver alloy -- he could smell the bitter scent of the silver in the air when the spear was thrust toward him.

"What's the matter?" Magnet purred mockingly, "Afraid you might look more like your beast if you shift again, lizard?"

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" Ring snarled, a reptilian hiss crawling free of his throat.

"Well, I must say..." came the taunting reply, "You would be even hotter with a few scale impressions in that lovely skin of yours." Magnet suddenly leapt into the air and Ring let out a startled yell, diving to the side in an attempt to dodge Enker's spear blade which had been aimed at his head. However, after throwing himself off balance from the frantic dodge, the second thrust was unavoidable.

Any other type of wound would not have left him on his knees, gagging and all but screaming from the combination of the torn muscle and the agony of the burning tissue. It was not even a deep wound -- mostly superficial -- but the silver had not only cut, it had also scorched the skin.

The sharp, normally inaudible whistling noise of a blade slicing through the air brought him back to his senses, and he rolled along the ground to avoid the downswing of Ryuujin. Enker swore as the blade embedded itself in the ground and he struggled to free it while Ring stumbled back to his feet, hissing at the pain in his side.

_ To hell with it..._ He doubled over and began shifting, bronze scales emerging from his skin. At the very least, changing would help heal the silver wound. He only hoped he would not retain any beast qualities when the battle was over.

Rock jumped when he heard Ring's shrill, reptilian cry, the sudden noise startling him enough to enable Blues' shadow blade to cut open his arm through his blue armor. Clamping a hand over the wound to staunch the bleeding, Rock ducked behind a tree to avoid another blade of darkness as he began charging his arm cannon. _You may still technically be my brother..._ he thought, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, _But if I know him as well as I think I do...he'd rather die than stay under Wily's control._ He dove out from behind the tree and released his shot before rolling on the ground and behind a second tree. Blues was knocked back a step by the shot, his once-silver chestplate blackened and smoking from the attack.

Rock continued firing around the trees for a moment before he stopped when Blues disappeared from his view. He froze and began listening intently to his surroundings, blocking out the noise from the other three battles. He strained his hearing in an attempt to hear anything out of place, anything that might mark Blues' presence in the growing darkness.

But the darkness makes no sound.

He could see the outlines and silhouettes of the trees and the boulders just enough to avoid them as he watched his target, the immense, painfully bright red aura easy to pinpoint as the pitch black silhouette inside the aura crawled down from the boulders.

"M-Metal..." Elec whispered, tightening his grip on Rakurai.

"What's wrong, hon?" Metal purred as he stood, "Not happy to see me?"

"Y-You..." Elec stammered, "Only you and Wily know...only you know what happened." He lifted his head, frustrated that his blindfold was already dampening from tears. "What did he do to you? What did he do to turn you into this?"

Metal's mocking laugh made his heart clench, but he received an answer. "You've been worrying about that all this time?" Metal laughed as he stepped closer, "You've been plagued with that question for the last five years?" Elec jumped when Metal's hand suddenly gripped the back of his head. "Poor Myrmidon...but why should I tell you?" Metal pressed closer to him. "After all...you won't survive this night."

Elec took a slow, deep breath in a vain attempt to calm his nerves. "If I'm going to die anyway...then there's no reason not to tell me."

Metal let his breath wisp over Elec's neck as he slowly nuzzled the elder's throat. "True, true...when you put it like that..." He used his grip in Elec's hair to tilt his head downward at the same time he pushed himself up onto his toes, whispering against Elec's lips. "Say hello to Hel for me..." He captured Elec's lips in a deep kiss that made tears flow anew down Elec's face, not all caught by the already damp blindfold. Metal's hand slipped down his side, and through the cloud over his mind induced by memories and grief, the Myrmidon could feel the growing power of the Blood Scylla's Death magic.

Metal howled in surprise as he was blown back, his back slamming into a boulder in the rock formation. He shook his head to clear it and glared at his adversary, snarling, "You'll regret that. I _was_ going to give you a painless death, but now that you've pissed me off, I'm going to finish you...nice...and slow..."

"Nothing could be more painful to me than listening to you claim to be Metal when you're nothing but a demon in his body," Elec whispered in response, raising Rakurai to hold it out in front of him, the eyes of the serpent glowing. "You can't have him. Not anymore. I know he'd rather die than be your pawn any longer..."

"And just what do you plan..._to do about me?"_ came the growling reply, the voice trailing to a guttural echo, hissing and nothing like the red robot's voice previously.

"I do not know beneath which sky I will dare to challenge fate..." Elec whispered, his eyes closed behind his blindfold, "I only know it will be high; I only know it will be great..."

Lightning arced across the sky as the wind swirled around his feet, his cape blowing behind him as he raised Rakurai higher and began to chant. "_Tasogare yori mo kuraki mono_..._Chi no nagare yori akaki mono_..._Toki no nagare ni uzumore shi_..."

Metal's voice came quiet and pleading as he suddenly cowered against the rocks, staring at the Myrmidon as Elec pulled forth all his power. "E-Elec, no...please..."

"_Idai na nanji no na ni oite_..._Ware koko ni yami ni chikawan_..._Warera ga mae ni tachi fusagari shi_..._Subete no oroka naru mono ni_..."

"E-Elec, please...!"

"_Ware to nanji ga chikara mote / hitoshiku horobi o ataen koto o_!"

Eyes the color of candle flames narrowed and darkened as Metal snarled, _"May you rot in the fires of the underworld, Anubis' grandchild."_

"_Thunder Beam_!!"

Rakurai's head seemed to curl up and open its mouth as a massive surge of lightning energy arced from the sceptre, tearing through the brush, through its target, and beyond to the lakeshore, a blinding, white spectacle. It was a spell which the Myrmidon had only used once before almost a decade past during his first battle with Rock, and it was a spell which he had vowed to never use again.

Metal's scream tore free of the barrage, but was drowned out by an otherworldly, resonant roar of agony and defeat. The other combatants could do nothing but stare as a dark shape folded out of the light where Metal had been last and disappeared. Slowly, the light faded, and Elec fell to his knees, his shoulders shaking with a mixture of fatigue and desperately held back tears.

"I'm sorry..." he whispered to the air, "I'm sorry, Metal...none of this was your doing...it was all Wily's...I'm sorry..." He raised his head to look once more at the red aura just before him. "M-Metal?"

"Metal...?"

* * * * *

_ "We have Rock. All of you, get back to the Fortress."_

Dr. Wily's voice in his communicator made Pharaoh jump, but he managed to tear his eyes from the steaming remains of the line of trees that had been in the Thunder Beam's way. He whistled to Magnet and Enker to get their attention, and the Trio ran into the trees to escape, leaving behind Doc's torn remains. Ring and Quick did not notice them as Quick rushed to Elec's side while Ring shifted back and tore free of his reptilian skin.

"Elec...?" Ring spoke hesitantly with a brief glance at the smoking line left behind by the attack, "Are you okay?"

"I killed him..." was all Elec could say, "I killed him..."

"Elec..." Quick started, but trailed off. He had no words of comfort. He looked up sharply when he heard footfalls, and blinked when Centaur came through the trees and stared at the destruction.

"What happened?" he asked, "I saw the light from the inn, but..." He started down the scorched line, both amazed and somewhat disturbed.

Quick winced and bit his lip as he replied, "Elec...killed Metal..."

There was a long pause as the Healer continued surveying the destruction before he responded, "Don't be so sure." His three companions looked up sharply as he knelt down beside a scorched form, a form which was moving very faintly and weakly.

"C...Cen...taur...?" came the red robot's weak voice as Quick and Ring guided Elec over to him, "'L...'Lec..?"

"Metal...?" Elec whispered, his heart pounding. He recognized that voice -- recognized a tone in it...it was different than before, softer and not just from weakness.

"I...had a d...dream..." Metal stammered, coughing as Centaur began Healing him, "W...Wily...u-used me...in a project...and I...did...things..."

"M-Metal..." Elec whimpered quietly.

Metal blinked blearily up at him, Quick, and Ring for a brief moment. "W-Was it...a dream...?"

Centaur just gently brushed Metal's hair back out of his face and replied with a small smile, "Welcome back, Metal..."

* * * * *

_ "Well, I must say that certainly sucked."_

_ "For the love of Horus, I would have expected a creature as powerful as you to have a more sophisticated vocabulary."_

_ "It's the best way to describe what just happened. And watch who you're calling a 'creature'."_

War and Justice looked back down at the steaming battlefield from their perch in the clouds, War licking his wounds from the extraordinary blow he had received. _"Where did he gain such a powerful spell?"_ he continued, _"The Necromancer is lucky that I took most of the attack -- he would not have survived otherwise."_

_ "It was given to him by Isis, naturally. All robotic spells are. You of all demigods should know that, Thagos."_

_ "I do know, you long-snouted bastard. I just don't recall it being that powerful when he cast it against Rock the last time. Did you enhance it for him?"_

_ "Perhaps I did, perhaps I did not,"_ Pathos answered with a snort, _"Your tyranny has progressed far enough. The Reign of Wily will be over very soon."_

_ "Yes, yes. It was fun while it lasted though. I still believe that it was a clever idea, having Wily infuse me into Metal's mind,"_ War laughed, _"It was _so_ much fun..."_

Justice bristled. _"Yes, if you insist, but Anubis will see that you are severely punished for what you had him do to his Chosen. And for poisoning the Second Scion's mind and beginning this war in the first place."_

_ "I am Thagos, Demigod of War. Starting wars is what I do."_ Thagos looked back down at Lorien and watched the former Robot Masters as they began helping each other back to the village, Metal being carried by Centaur. _"Let's go."_ Pathos nodded and started away through the clouds as Thagos watched Metal a moment longer. _"I never could break you. For that, you have my admiration."_ He stood and began to leave, long tail swaying behind him. _"Farewell, Sweet Child O' Mine."_

* * * * *

At first, all he could think of was that his head hurt. Then his other senses started to work properly again, and he realized that his wrists hurt as well, and that he was very cold and was lying on his side on a surface colder than he felt. He opened his eyes to find himself staring at the metal bars of a cell. The floor was also metal, as were the walls and the ceiling, a dull grey metal that he instantly recognized.

_ This sucks._

Rock sat up stiffly and tried to remember what had happened. He remembered losing sight of Blues and listening for him through the sounds of his companions fighting, but after he felt a searing pain in his back, he could not remember anything more.

"Rats..." he sighed and crawled over to the bars of his cell to test them for strength. He shook the bars a little and tugged on them experimentally, frowning. They were too strong for him to bend or break, but they did not appear to be impossible to destroy with his arm cannons. Rock reached down to recall his armor, but hissed sharply when his forearms suddenly felt as if they were on fire. He cringed and pushed up the sleeve of his shirt to open a panel in the underside of his wrist.

_ Rats, they disabled my arm cannons and armor recall,_ he sighed inwardly. He pulled his sleeve back down and sighed again, curling against the wall. He could not help but wonder why he had not been killed yet and why Dr. Wily was holding him in the dungeon, but he decided to not complain. _Beggars can't be choosers..._

He heard a slight rustle of cloth just down the row of cells followed by a faint meow just before a voice spoke to his side, "Hello, stranger. It's been a while."

Rock froze, his eyes widening. He knew that voice. He knew it even though he had not heard it in what seemed like decades. He slowly looked to his right, tears beginning to well in his eyes as he saw that he was indeed not imagining things.

"D...Dr. Light...?"

"Daytime Moon" -- Arai Akino  
"Outlaw Star"

  
**A/N:** Kudos if you can figure out where I ripped Elec's incantation from. *couldn't come up with anything better, which is sad*


	15. EC 14: Fantasia of the Wind

**A/N:** Bwee, two chapters in a month. A new record~ I guess this is my way of making up for the horrible lag between chapters for the past...uh...year. xx; *hides* Two more chapters (and the epilogue)! Yay!

**A/N.2:** I think I liked Metal better insaaane~

Chapter Fourteen  
Fantasia of the Wind

"Well...your eyes are definitely different now," Centaur muttered as he examined Ring, the curtains of the room pulled back to allow the morning sunlight to filter through the glass windows, "But I don't think it's too obvious. They're just a little brighter than before. Your teeth haven't changed any, and you don't have any scale impressions on your skin. Just try not to shift again for another month."

"Easier said than done," Ring grumbled in response, "I'll have to shift at least once more at the Fortress." Ring shook his head and stood to dress himself, glancing over at Quick and Elec. "How's he doing?"

"We've got almost all of the burns Healed," Quick answered.

"OW!"

"Oops."

"For Anubis' sake!" came Metal's protest, followed quickly by a string of swearing.

Centaur laughed, "At least he's regaining his energy okay."

"Yeah, really," Quick responded, shaking his head, "I forgot how much of a pain in the ass you are to heal, Metal." He grinned when his only response was a one-finger salute.

Centaur grinned and shook his head before stepping over to the group. "Here, let me finish. It shouldn't take a few minutes." Quick vacated his chair so that Centaur could sit in his place.

Metal started to say something, but sighed and gave up. He knew that there was really no use complaining -- the longer he was awake, the more he remembered of what all he had done over the past five years. The searing pain of Healing was not nearly enough of what he felt he deserved. He smiled up at Elec when he felt the older robot's hand begin to stroke his hair, the smile turning wan when he remembered that he could not see it. _I missed so much..._

"There," Centaur spoke, pulling his hands away, "Feeling better?"

Metal gave him a look as he replied, "I feel like I've been shot at and missed and shit at and hit."

Elec laughed and helped Metal sit up, "Yep, he's feeling better."

Metal sighed and sat up stiffly to work some feeling back into his spine. "You said something about Forte..."

Quick nodded and replied, "Yeah...Rock said that you said a Necromancer could help him. Wily ripped out his soul."

Metal frowned. "I don't remember that, but it makes sense. A soulless robot is just a walking corpse, basically."

"He's in here if you want to try," Ring stated as he opened the door leading to the next room. Metal looked at him, then slowly stood with Elec's and Centaur's help.

He was guided into the room where he frowned down at Forte's body. "What a mess. Where's his...ah, there it is." He held out his hand toward a potted plant at the other end of the room. "Get over here." A startled flash of white shined behind the plant just before Forte's soul flew to Metal's awaiting hand, shining brightly. "Hey, do you want your body back or not?" Metal snapped at it, 'quieting' the soul, "I thought so. Now don't cuss me out again." As the others watched, he sat down on the edge of the bed and looked at his companions. "This is going to take a while since I'm not a Scion, and I work better without gawkers." Nothing more needed to be said as the remaining Robot Masters took their leave, closing the door behind him.

Metal turned back to Forte's body and looked down at his soul. "You suck, you know that?" The soul flashed irritably. "You always manage to get yourself in the most screwed up situations." Metal shook his head with a small grin when the soul licked at his hands in an attempt to bite him. "Well, hold onto your ethereal butt. This is going to be a bumpy ride."

* * * * *

A soft purring was the only sound which echoed in the cold dungeon, purring elicited from specially made vocal cords housed in a metallic, furred throat. A long, green and gold tail swayed slowly from where Tango sat curled next to Rock who was, in turn, curled against the bars of his cell. The elder robot's face was still damp from where he had cried himself to sleep, but nightmares were kept at bay by the cat's purring and the gentle stroking of a loving father's hand through Rock's hair as he slept.

Dr. Light smiled forlornly down at the sleeping form. He was glad that Crystal had entered and moved him and Tango closer to Rock's cell, though even he would not go against orders enough to allow them to share the same cell. Tango had managed to squeeze through the bars after some difficulty, and it was enough for Dr. Light that he could reach through the bars to touch his creation.

_ I was lucky that night..._ he mused quietly. On the night of the massacre three years past, he had been on his way back from Fuu to the west after delivering some plows he had made for the farmers. Tango had run up to him on the pathway, his sawblades fully extended on his shoulders and spine, and the Scion had immediately known that something had happened to the lab. Once he had arrived at the lab, he had seen the devastation, seen the bodies of Roll, Rightot, and Beat, but Rush and Rock were nowhere to be seen.

Unfortunately, the Robot Masters responsible for the destruction had been waiting for him and had easily detained the Scion and the cat. Dr. Light remembered that it had been Gemini's first urge to kill them then and there, but Gyro had stopped him. All four agreed that Dr. Light would likely be worth more alive than dead, if not to Dr. Wily, then to Rock.

_ And so, I've been waiting here for three years_, he sighed inwardly, _At least the food is decent._ He looked back down at Rock and sighed again, still stroking his creation's hair. _I'm sorry about this, Rock...I know what he has planned for you, and there's nothing I can do to stop it._

"You knew all along that he was the one, didn't you?" came a familiar voice out of the darkness which made Dr. Light jump.

He scowled and countered, "So what if I did? Do you think I would have told you? You're a fool, Albert, if you think the Legend is going to play through your way."

Dr. Wily scoffed as he stepped over to his fellow Scion's cell, "Our fate is what we make of it. We are who we choose to be."

"And you chose to be a demon. You're just like the Fourth Scion, only minus the excuse of having the demigod of Insanity's poison in your mind."

"Who moved you? I'll have to make sure he's properly punished for disobeying direct orders that the two of you are to be kept as far away as possible."

Dr. Light snorted. "Pointless cruelty. You're going to kill him anyway and I'm powerless to stop you, so at least let him spend his last hours in peace."

"I'm afraid that isn't possible. Blues." Blues stepped free of the shadows upon hearing his name, making Dr. Light scowl. "Of course, for the Legend to come true, he must be 'tainted'...who better for that job than his brother?"

"You...he's suffered enough!" Dr. Light snarled, Tango hissing in agreement, "And besides, it's already been done."

Dr. Wily rolled his eyes, disbelieving. "And how would you know? Even if he told you -- or even if he didn't, it could simply be a lie in order to 'preserve' his worthless innocence."

The First's voice was tense and strained as he responded, "Look at his clothes, Albert. You don't bleed there except under certain circumstances."

The Second Scion looked in spite of himself, frowning at the old blood stain on the seat of Rock's pants. He hesitated before snorting, "I would have Blues do it anyway to make sure, but I'm in a rush. I'll send down one of my Healers to confirm it, but if you're lying, I'll release Magnet on him."

"You know as well as I do that I'm not. You're just trying to unnerve and disturb me, and I can assure you that knowing what is going to happen to him has already disturbed me enough." Dr. Wily snorted again and turned to leave, Blues following obediently behind him. Dr. Light scowled. "You're a delusional fool, Wily. You'll only succeed in forever trapping yourself in Tartarus without the chance of redemption."

"I will be a god, Xavier. Watch me."

Dr. Light hesitated until the other Scion had left before sighing and whispering to himself, "I'd rather not..." He looked back down to Rock and shook his head. "I'm sorry, Rock...I'm sorry you had to be the Caller of legend...and I'm sorry you had to suffer like this..."

* * * * *

Quick waved to the human on the lakeshore as Ring paddled their boat, two other boats trailing behind them. The human who had been injured by the Trio had insisted that they use his boats as a way of thanking them for Healing his wounds, which was an offer they could not refuse. It saved not only money, but time as well. No other docking areas would have been open this late at night, and they had no time to lose.

Because the boats were fairly small, they had taken three -- Quick and Ring in one, Centaur and Forte in the second, and Elec and Metal in the third. That left Metal with all of the paddling in his and Elec's boat since Elec could not see where he was steering the small craft, but the Necromancer had insisted he be with the Myrmidon despite the fact that he was still significantly weakened.

"About how long do you think it'll take us?" Metal yelled over his shoulder.

"If we keep at this pace, I'd say about three or four hours," Centaur called back. Metal gagged, but kept quiet.

Elec tilted his head and reached over to gently touch Metal's knee as he spoke, "I can heal the ache when your arms start hurting, but I can't do anything for fatigue..."

Metal shook his head and answered, "No, you should save your strength for when we get there in case we need your magic."

"And we shouldn't worry about you saving your strength for the same reason?" Elec pointed out plaintively, making Metal frown.

"I'm a Necromancer. I can fight, but magically, I'll be no good once we get there unless some of the others drop dead."

"There you go again, thinking you're inferior to the others just because your magic plays with dead things instead of blowing things up."

"Well, it _is_ a rather useless class," Metal pointed out, "Unless you want to make an army of zombies."

He jumped slightly when Elec snapped at him, "Oh, so you'd rather be like me instead? Blind as a bat and utterly helpless? Except as a low-power Healer, I'm useless too now, but I deal with it. You used to enjoy walking through graveyards and talking to the spirits--"

"Yeah, well it's a lot harder to enjoy talking to the dead when you're the reason so many _are_ dead, when you're the one who took their lives and fed on their flesh!" Metal suppressed a shudder. "Gods, I can't wait to get out of these clothes -- I stink worse than a raptor pack after a three-night feeding frenzy."

Elec was silent for a long moment before he whispered, his head tilted downward, "I wish I could see you again...I wish I could be rid of the memories of watching you suffer after that experiment...the last thing I ever saw before I escaped the Fortress was the last pieces of your sanity flying away, and that's all I can picture when I hear your voice now..."

"Elec..."

"If I was given the choice to remain as strong as I am in my class, or take my sight back and life my life without magic, I'd take the second just so I could see your face again, see that smile one more time..."

Metal looked away, blushing. "I'd forgotten how impossible it is to stay mad at you."

"Yeah, well, you're easy to embarrass."

"I am not!"

"Oh yeah? Remember the first time you found out your class? The rabbit Quick had brought in from outside? You screamed bloody murder and clung to Flash's face when it followed you around the Fortress with half its head cut off."

Metal's face turned bright crimson as he sputtered, "Shut up! I-I don't remember that...!"

"Oh?" Elec grinned, "Then what about the time you tried to control your first skeleton, and it humped your ankle?"

Metal made an interesting noise which was half-choke, half-scream. "Shut it! What about the time _you_ got so drunk that you wandered around the Fortress with a cone on your head claiming to be a lamp?!"

"You said you'd forgotten about that!"

"I lied!"

"Guys!" Ring yelled after them, staring.

"_Shut up!_" both elder robots snapped.

Forte blinked slowly at them, then looked at Centaur. "Are they married?"

* * * * *

Figures scrolled across the screen, figures which had little meaning to him at the moment as he gave orders to Pharaoh and Magnet, the latter of which was holding Enker's unconscious, sedated form. Dr. Wily snorted as he turned away from them, "He should learn to control that temper of his."

"Really, you should have expected that after you let him see your new toy..." Pharaoh muttered in response.

"Yeah, really," Magnet responded after shifting Enker in his arms, "We all thought he was dead. How were you able to keep him?"

Dr. Wily turned back to them and crossed his arms as he answered, "Diluted silver nitrate in the bloodstream the night before every full moon prevented him from shifting, combined with silver manacles to keep him from escaping. He's just lucky robots don't need to eat in order to survive."

Pharaoh cast a nervous glance at the silent watcher perched on a table, the thought-dead robot's breathing heavy and slow as he stared ahead at nothing. "And you've got complete control over him, right?"

"Yes, yes. That collar enables me to have total control over him. He'll obey any order I give him." Dr. Wily pointed at them. "Now you just go get ready for tonight. See to it that you get any injuries Healed and practice until I call you." Pharaoh and Magnet nodded and left without another word. Dr. Wily turned back to his computer, smiling. _Tonight, I will become a god..._

"I finished my examination," came Star's voice from the doorway behind him.

"Yes? And what did you find out?"

Star answered, "They weren't lying. Rock has some internal tearing, and his behavior is consistent. It's almost healed, but it happened."

"Good. You may go." Star nodded and took his leave. Dr. Wily watched his computer screens for a long moment before he stood and stepped over to a table in the corner of the room, grinning at a small jar. "Pay careful attention tonight. Your body is going to play a key role in the next step of my life." He laughed and placed his hand on the lid of the jar. "And your brother will finally be out of my way."

Inside the jar, the small pinpoint of light shied back as far as it could get away from its co-creator.

* * * * *

"Okay," Quick muttered, taking a deep breath to keep his nerves calm. He and his companions were hidden behind a rocky outcropping near the shore of the island. Just beyond the outcropping stood Skull Fortress, a mechanical, nightmarish castle built of metal and stone with lightning rods on each tower to absorb the electricity from storms and store the power into the underground generators. "Once we get in, the entire Fortress is probably going to be on red alert unless we can do it without being noticed by the cameras," Quick continued.

Centaur nodded. "And once the security system is activated, we'll have to go through all of Wily's traps and lesser 'bots, not to mention the other guys."

"The Mets and Joes won't be any problem, and the traps are just minor annoyances," Forte hissed, "It's the others I'm worried about, especially if we run into any of the lycanthropes. They'll be the ones who really slow us down."

Elec spoke, "That's all fine for you, but the traps are going to be what slows me down, especially the pits. I can't see where to jump." He shot a blind glare in Quick's general direction. "And no, I'm not staying behind."

Ring responded, "One of us can probably carry you over the pits -- me or Centaur. Right?" Centaur nodded.

"Then let's go," Metal muttered, standing, "And try not to get separated." The others nodded, stood, and the group began their dash forward.

Into the maw of the beast.

_"Fantasia of the Wind"_ -- Sherry  
"Record of Lodoss War"


	16. EC 15: Currents

**A/N:** Yes, this is an extremely short chapter. Originally, I had just added these three scenes to the end of chapter fourteen and had put a note at the beginning of the last chapter to point that out, but I decided that I really didn't trust you people to actually listen to me and re-read chapter 14. XP So there! Myah! 

_Chapter Fifteen  
Currents_

"And so then Bubble thought it'd be smart to try to hide in the spikes -- I mean, really! How stupid can you get?"

"Heh, yeah, really. Snake says he's stuck on stupid and passed out on dumb. He's about as useful as Top when it comes to--"

The playful banter was cut off as alarms began blaring throughout the entire complex, dragging the attention of each Robot Master towards what was happening, who was intruding. Armor was quickly recalled on almost every android as they rushed to find the source of the intrusion. All but five rushed to the call -- the Trio stayed in the primary control room awaiting orders from Dr. Wily and Blues was with the Scion carrying the last, unconscious robot to a special containment area in the side of the Fortress.

"Seal it here, over this opening," Dr. Wily commanded after Blues set down the unconscious form. Blues nodded in acknowledgement and raised his hands to the missing wall where wind was sweeping into the structure. He pulled the shadows together over the opening, creating a barrier even a lycanthrope could not break unless he cast the counter spell. A wall of black energy covered the hole, translucent with the moon shining brightly beyond it. "Good..." Dr. Wily spoke with a grin after injecting a serum into the unconscious robot at his feet, "Now let's get out of here before he wakes up and get Rock ready." The two swiftly left, closing a large door behind them.

A door made of solid silver.

* * * * *

Forte kicked away Flame's body and resumed his trek through the brightly lit metal hallways, scowling. The others were behind them, watching their backs and the side rooms for any signs of ambush. Elec walked in the middle, Metal guiding him while Quick walked beside Forte, Ring and Centaur taking the rear. "If I were Wily, where would I put Rock..." Elec muttered, chewing his lip.

"Probably the dungeon," Ring offered.

"Or the scrap bin," Centaur snorted with a scowl.

Forte snarled, "Either way, if I see him he's dead. It'd be about time too."

"I suggest we give the dungeon a shot first," Metal spoke, "If he's still alive, he's probably there." A snarl crawled free of Forte's throat at the thought of Rock dead and in the scrap bin but he toned down his fury. Overreacting would do nothing to aid them and probably everything to hinder them.

It took longer than they would have liked to reach the dungeon on the sixth floor -- about fifteen minutes -- but they soon rushed in after Ring listened at the door to make sure no one was walking loose inside. Forte called Rock's name as he ran inside the room, using Solandri's blades to cut through the darkness and illuminate the walls.

"You're too late," came a faintly familiar, slightly hoarse voice from one corner of the dungeon.

Solandri was held in that direction to reveal a pale face almost lost in a white beard and white hair, brown eyes almost lost in the darkness. Forte could only stare in disbelief for a brief moment before he stammered, "Dr. Light...?" The Scion nodded and the group stepped closer to him so they could see him more easily through the darkness. "Rock thought you were dead..."

"I know..." Dr. Light sighed, "So you're the ones who have been helping him all this time..." At their slow, almost embarrassed nods, he spoke urgently, "Then you must hurry. Wily has taken Rock to the roof to sacrifice him."

"Sacrifice him?" Ring questioned, blinking.

"Yes," Dr. Light growled, "Wily wants to become a god...so he's going to kill Rock to challenge Anubis."

"What in Tartarus...?" Centaur muttered, frowning, "What's his reasoning behind _that_?"

"The Legend..." Metal whispered. He winced at the others' inquiring glances. "I...I learned about it somehow while I was...a Blood Scylla. If the chosen favorite of Anubis' is killed, he'll appear to slay the murderer...and if he's defeated, the slayer will take his place as the god of technology." He looked back to Dr. Light. "Rock's the chosen favorite...?" The First Scion nodded solemnly.

"I've never heard of anything like that," Centaur growled, scowling, "And I'm the history freak."

Forte snarled, his grip tightening painfully on Solandri. "They're on the roof?"

Dr. Light nodded. "Yes. If you hurry, you may be able to stop them." He sighed and slumped back against the bars of his cell. He need not have said anything more than "yes" -- Forte was already gone.

* * * * *

Rock groaned and tried to crack open his eyes, hissing at the painful throbbing in the back of his head where he had been struck. He had made the mistake of trying to bolt out of his cell when Blues opened it and he had underestimated Blues' abnormally fast reflexes. He tried to sit up and blinked when he felt something hold him down, something hard biting into his arms. He opened his eyes and looked down, yipping when he saw that he was being held down on a metal table, strong metal bands securing his arms and legs to the table. The stars shone down upon him, the moon bright white and the wind playing with his hair. Why was he outside?

Movement to his left caught his eye and he blinked when he found himself staring up at Blues and Dr. Wily. Enker, Magnet, and Pharaoh were on his other side, Magnet shifted to his weregargoyle form. Dr. Wily smiled, a sinister curve of the lips that sent a chill of dread through Rock's systems.

"Wh-What...what are you doing...?" Rock managed to ask though he had an idea which was confirmed by the Scion's response.

"What I've wanted to do for a long, long time..." Dr. Wily answered, snickering, "Do it."

Blues stepped forward and raised a hand, darkness gathering in his hand to form a long, black knife, the blade glistening in the moonlight. He stepped up to the table and raised his hands to the sky, gripping the hilt of the blade of shadow tightly. Rock squeezed his eyes shut as the blade came down.

_I'll see you soon, Roll..._

The screech of the blade cutting into metal and wiring and the squelch of spurting blood was drowned out by the loud, pain-wracked cry which freed itself from Forte's throat, a cry which was not heard by the one occupant of the area who had wanted to hear his voice one last time. When the shadow knife had pierced through his metal bone, it had exploded inside him at Blues' silent command.

Death was mercifully painless.

The Trio spun to face Forte's enraged charge as the others behind Forte clambered out of the stairwell, stumbling then falling speechless at the sight before them -- Rock's blood flowing freely and dripping onto the ground even without a fuel pump -- a heartbeat -- to circulate the fluid. Forte swing Solandri with an enraged scream, slicing at empty air as Magnet dodged easily. Forte started to attack again when night suddenly turned into day, the moonlight exploding into a blinding flood of illumination which made everyone howl and cover their eyes, even Blues whose affinity with the shadows left him the weakest against the bombardment of light.

Centaur pulled his arm away from his face, squinting at the source of the light in an attempt to see what was happening. His blue eyes widened when he saw a figure step through the light, melting from it as if it were water. A long canine muzzle smoothed into a lean face, long ears threaded through a metallic cloth over his head. Humanoid fingers ended in sharp claws and canine paws stepped free of the light, a long tail last to come free. As the light slowly dimmed, the newcomer could be made out in more detail -- he was completely metal, a shining bronze color, eyes made of a gold-colored glass, the type found in cathedrals.

Even as day faded back into night, silence reigned over the area as everyone simply stared -- stared at a figure which some only imagined existed but never believed. They stared in shock that he was there in front of them. They stared and shivers trailed down their spines as they realized that the Legend had, indeed, come to life. Standing before them now was the god of technology, their god.

Anubis.

_"Currents" -- _KOKIA  
"Genso Suikogaiden"


	17. EC 16: Key of the Twilight

_Chapter Sixteen  
Key of the Twilight_

"And so, the almighty god of technology finally shows himself..." Dr. Wily scoffed, breaking the choking silence, "You're not as impressive as I thought you might be."

Gold glass optics narrowed as a small, humorless grin spread across a long black muzzle before the jackal responded, his voice resonant and metallic like a robot with a damaged vocal box, "Stupid organic...it is a pity your Scionic power only grants you the ability to understand technology but does not grant you any common sense. Only a fool would believe they could actually defeat me." His voice sent a shiver down the spines of the robots before him as they felt the ebb of their god's sheer power behind the metallic echo of his voice.

"Only a fool without the means to succeed..." came the Scion's mocking reply before he looked to the Trio. Under their Scion's gaze, they stepped forward again, Magnet's furred ears twitching in the wind as he growled in his chest in an attempt to gather his nerve again. Pharaoh and Enker stepped forward on either side of Magnet, half a step behind him. Both readied their weapons, Enker gripping Ryuujin tightly and Pharaoh calling forth his magic to form a fireball in his hands. On Dr. Wily's other side, Blues slowly stepped around in front of the Scion to guard him, leaving his shadow weapon lodged inside the deactivated shell on the table.

Anubis' muzzle curved back in another amused grin. "A Dragoon -- one of the most worthless classes Isis created -- a Force Master Gouka -- a pathetic one at that -- a weregargoyle -- one who Hel has wanted to have fun with for a long time -- and a somewhat powerful Shadow Warrior." His grin widened. "I'm shaking in my non-existent boots."

"You'll soon change that sarcastic tone of yours..." Dr. Wily countered, scowling as his god's grin only widened.

"You may be smarter than Sekhmet's brood..." Anubis drawled, "But you're still an arrogant, stupid human."

Tension gathered in artificial muscles and teeth were clenched in anticipation, those guarding Dr. Wily nervous as to what would happen to them and those on the other side of the area anxious to see what would transpire. Forte's gold eyes narrowed and he whispered, knowing at least Ring would be able to hear him as he and his comrades watched the scene before them, "When they start going at each other, grab Rock's body and let's get out of here."

"But what's the point?" Quick had to ask, "He's dead."

Centaur hissed in response, "His soul will follow once it comes free of his body -- if we can get him to Dr. Cossack surely he'll repair his body for the right price."

Metal nodded and whispered as well, "Yeah. And with his body repaired, I can push his soul back in like I did with Forte."

"Ring, you're the fastest," Forte continued, ignoring the interruption, "I'll distract anyone who tries to stop you while you get Rock." Ring nodded, his legs tensing in preparation.

"Enough of this," Dr. Wily snapped, bringing attention back to himself and the god of technology as the Second Scion raised a hand to the sky, "The stage has been set -- now, let the curtain rise!"

Blues' eyes snapped open wide behind his black visor and all in the area felt his shadow power all but explode out from him, swirling like a whirlpool around and upwards into the sky as black smoke. The tip of the whirl curved back slowly as it gained power, seeming to touch the stars before it suddenly dove down the side of Skull Fortress, circling once before finding its target, a hole in the side of the metal and stone castle sealed with Blues' magic. The whirl dove into the seal, shattering it with a shriek of twisting metal which was drowned out by a bellowing roar, flames erupting from the cavity shortly followed by the creature which had been imprisoned.  
Forte and Ring ran toward the makeshift altar as a gigantic yet slender, serpentine mass flew up above the peak of Skull Fortress, green and gold scales glistening in the light of the waning moon, large mouth open as it roared again, flames licking past teeth as long as Forte's forearm. Large, powerful wings kept it aloft, the membranes between the bones the same gold color as its armor-like belly scales.

Enker's grip tightened on Ryuujin painfully as he watched the dragon circle around the Fortress, bellowing. He knew that dragon, knew he had done everything within his power to kill it years ago and had thought he had succeeded until the past few hours when Dr. Wily had proven him wrong. At the time, he did not know that a lycanthrope shifts back to its original form when it dies, and the dragon, when Enker had thought he killed it, did not change back.

The mechanical collar around the dragon's neck held back the worst of its insanity, enabling the Scion to control it for the most part, but that knowledge only made the pain in Enker's chest grow. He knew the dragon would rather be dead than insane but he could not suppress the slight elation he felt knowing he was still alive.

"Quint!" Dr. Wily called to the dragon, "Prove your usefulness to me!" He pointed to Anubis. "Attack!" Quint shrieked and dove down through the sky smoke and flames erupting from his throat.

"Fool..." Anubis snarled, raising a hand to point at Quint as he dove toward him. Amber optics narrowed as he released a focused beam of his power at the green dragon to be rid of the opposition.

"NO!" Anubis was unable to stop his attack before two things happened that he did not expect. Quint shifted his wings and curved up sharply to dodge, and Enker used his Dragoon leaping ability to jump in the way of the deadly attack and protect what remained of his friend.

The explosion almost knocked Dr. Wily back as flames lit the sky, pieces of Enker's armor as well as parts which had once formed him raining to the ground, no fluids surviving the inferno. Magnet and Pharaoh fell at that same instant, clutching their chests and coughing up blood as the triumvirate was ripped to shreds, threatening to take them with Enker. Even Forte and Ring could not help but stare as they stood by Rock's body and tried to free it of its restraints, all shocked speechless by what had happened.

Anubis stared at the fading fire, shocked as well. He had not anticipated that -- he anticipated Quint's dodge, but not Enker's action. He clenched his fangs, balling a hand into a fist. He had always liked Enker -- had felt sorry for him when Quint's lycanthropy drove him insane. He knew that Dr. Wily had kept Quint imprisoned in the Fortress, but never guessed that the Scion would release him tonight. Anubis never would have harmed Enker otherwise -- if the Scion had not released Quint, this never would have happened.

Dr. Wily snorted after regaining his composure and allowing his hearing to recover from the explosion, crossing his arms, "It's clear that you do need to be replaced after all if you can't even hit the right target."  
Anubis' ears twisted around as he snarled deep in his chest. He slowly turned back to face the Scion as well as all the robots before him, amber optics fading like mist into bright red, the color of the flames of the underworld and burning directly into their hearts. The area suddenly grew very cold, chilling, as Anubis slowly growled.  
"You're all going to die up here."

* * * * *

Tango mewed sadly as the aftershock of an explosion shook the walls of the Fortress, his ears drooping to either side of his head even as Dr. Light gently pet him to soothe him. "I know, Tango..." the First Scion sighed, closing his eyes wearily, "It's started..." Dr. Light looked down at the green cat and stroked one of his ears. "We can be sure of one thing though. Wily won't win." He shook his head and leaned back against the wall. "He was a fool to believe he could fight and become a god. An enormous fool."

Another explosion rocked the structure, this one stronger than the last. Dr. Light closed his eyes and uttered a silent prayer to his god, a request to quell his anger and leave unharmed those who had aided Rock in his journey. However, he knew that Anubis' temper had already flared too high for one simple prayer to reach him. Dr. Light opened his eyes once more and stared blankly at the ceiling. "If I live through this, Tango, go to Dr. Cossack. Kalinka will care for you." Tango lifted his head and made an inquiring mew. "Me? I'll follow eventually...but I'll stay behind long enough to send the casualties to Judgment." His eyes closed again. "Blues will finally have the peace in death he has yearned for three years...the peace he deserves..." Dr. Light felt his heart clench as he sensed another life slip away at the claws of the God of Technology.

The door to the dungeon creaked open with a loud groan which made the Scion glance up curiously. Five forms slipped into the dark room, the smallest with the figure of a child and the largest barely able to fit through the narrow doorway with his broad, bulky shoulders and strong, log-like arms. A flame, dimmed down to nearly the size of a candle flame, partially lit the group, giving Dr. Light a glimpse of red and silver armor on one, yellow and red on another, blue and white on the smallest.

The cell door was unlocked and swung open and Dr. Light felt his heart leap. So they had never lost their loyalty after all, only been under Dr. Wily's control -- and with Dr. Wily's death...

"I think we'd better get out of here, Doc," the smallest spoke softly, bright blue eyes shining in the dim firelight.

Dr. Light smiled. "I couldn't agree more, Ice..."

* * * * *

The fires, the screams, the blood -- it all bombarded him, magnified by his affinity with death, and he could do nothing but stare, his breath nothing but gasping, shocky heaves, Metal's flame-colored eyes wide and taking in the destruction yet, at the same time, unseeing, unfathoming.

Anubis' claws tore through Blues' armor like a rabid animal ripping through its prey. His claws sank into artificial skin, closed around ribs and circuitry, and ripped it through the Shadow Warrior's abdomen to toss aside and to the ground. However, the blow which should have incapacitated him from shock of the pain was only ignored by the empty shell which knew no pain and Blues continued to fight back with every last spark of his magic, an action which only enraged the god further. Anubis tug his claws into Blues' leg and knocked him back, giving the limb a rough twist which tore it free of its hip socket in a fountain of sparks and circulatory fluid but it still was not enough to stop the determined shell even as his other leg was ripped away as well.

Anubis roared in rage when he was swiped across his muzzle by claws of darkness, and he lashed out to plunge his claws into Blues' face, gripping his metallic skull tightly and wrenching it off of his shoulders, sparks from the severed wires igniting the growing pool of blood underneath Blues' body. Anubis turned away from the twitching, mutilated form as it slumped back, and he deftly threw Blues' head off the side of the Fortress.

Only two more left.

Pieces of Enker still littered the battlefield, now accompanied by the charred, broken remains of Quick. Ring's body was slowly shifting back to his humanoid form in death from where he had fallen from the sky after changing. Forte lay on his side near Rock's table, having never left the eldest's side, the hole through his chest still dripping fluids to pool onto the ground underneath him. Pharaoh's body was intact -- he had mercifully died with Enker and had escaped the massacre, but pieces of Magnet were also scattered like undesirable meat in a butcher shop -- no, wait, maybe that was Dr. Wily -- so much blood, impossible to tell...

Elec...he had tried to cast his Thunder Beam spell once more in an attempt to protect Metal only to be killed by claws cleanly ripping out his throat.

Metal could not find Centaur amongst the bodies but knew he must have suffered the same fate as the only one still fighting was Quint, his diamond-tough scales deflecting the beams of energy Anubis fired at him. However, the Necromancer could see that even Quint was beginning to grow weary from the length of the battle. His flight pattern was wavering and his flames were not as bright nor as intense as before. A chill ran down Metal's spine as he heard Anubis roar, energy gathering around him like a golden flame. He shivered and tried to push himself to his feet to escape, to hide, _anything_, but his legs would not move, nothing would cooperate. He just sat, frozen in fear, and watched in mute horror as Anubis leapt into the air towards Quint.

The energy surrounding Anubis tore through Quint's belly scales like a raptor rips at its prey. Quint shrieked to the night sky as his blood sprayed from the enormous wound, forming a red, putrid rain. As Anubis landed on the opposite side of the Fortress, Quint fell to the ground far below with a loud crash and the crunch of shattering bones. And all Metal could do was watch through tearful, wide eyes even as Anubis slowly stood and turned to look at him with those horrible, horrible red eyes. If this was truly Anubis' nature, truly the father of technology...

_ No wonder the humans hate us so much..._

As his god made his way toward him, Metal finally mustered the will to raise his hands in a final attempt. He shakily whispered the incantation which had always been so familiar to him yet now made him struggle to remember the words. Forte's body slowly began to stand, tugged by the puppet strings of necromancy, and Metal looked fearfully back at his adversary.

The last thing he saw were the tips of Anubis' claws.

* * * * *

"Whoa, light show," Guts marveled, staring up at the sky near the roof of Skull Fortress as the stars were drowned by another flash of light.

"Come on, you idiot!" Fire hissed and grabbed Guts' arm to try to tug him to the shore.

"Cut! Are there any boats?" Ice called over the roars and other noises echoing from the Fortress, holding Tango close.

"Um...yeah, two of ours," came Cut's reply from the small cavern beneath the shore where Skull Fotress' boats were kept, "Nothing Guts can fit in though." There was a brief pause before Cut spoke again, "He knows how to dog paddle, right?"

"Yeah," Bomb answered.

"Then get in here!"

As Bomb helped Cut work the boats out of the docking cavern, Ice ran back over to Dr. Light who was watching the "light show" atop Skull Fortress. "Doc!" Ice called, "We found the boats -- Guts is going to have to swim behind us, but once Cut and Bomb get the boats to the shore we can get out of here--"

"What is that?" Dr. Light asked, still staring up at the Fortress. Ice blinked and followed his Soulgiver's gaze to the stars. He jumped when a golden flash lit the sky, temporarily blinding them. Dr. Light squinted into the brightness as he heard an odd noise not unlike a roar, trying to see through the light and figure out what was happening.

"Dr. Light! Ice!" Guts' strong arms wrapped around their waists and jerked them back just before the ground shook with a loud crash where the Scion and his android had been standing. Ice opened his eyes and helped sharply, tightening his grip on Tango as he backed away from the rows of sharp teeth in front of him.

"Come on!" Cut yelled, tearing Ice and Dr. Light's attention from the creature before them. Ice rushed back to the boats as Guts tried to tear Dr. Light away from the dragon as its scales rippled and began to recede into its body.

Dr. Light shook his head and turned to make his way to the shore only to stop abruptly with a yelp when something flitted in front of his face, something bright white which floated in front of him, the glow seeming to emit a feeling of sorrow. He only had to look at the soul to know who it was, his own sorrow mirroring it.

"Oh, Rock..."

* * * * *

"Anubis!"

Anubis narrowed his red optics and slowly stood straight, his claws sliding free of Metal's face with a scraping noise of metal against blood-covered artificial bone. He turned to his left and snarled in the back of his throat. He had forgotten about this one...

Blue eyes were narrowed, green and gold armor gleaming in the moonlight as Centaur snapped, "Calm down!"

"Leave this place, whelp!" hissed Anubis as he bore his fangs, "Before I kill you too!"

"Oh?" Centaur scoffed, crossing his arms, "You didn't give the others that warning. And if you were going to kill me, why did you completely avoid me while you were slaughtering everyone else?"

The god snarled in answer, "Do not test my patience, wretched creature..."

"I will too, and I'm not shutting up until you either calm yourself or kill me!"

"If you desire death so much..." Anubis' optics shone brighter, red like the heart of a fire. "Then so be it!"

Blue eyes the color of the dawn sky narrowed as they blurred to the same red which coated the battlefield. A silent command caused green armor to blur to dulled, scratched black, gold trimming fading to red. The three silver horns on his helmet dulled, old blood stains marring each sharp tip.

Centaur growled as a scar suddenly covered his throat, making his voice nothing more than a menacing hiss, "Bring it on, Gramps..."

He dove to the side as Anubis leapt toward him, the god almost too fast to see despite the way the moonlight gleamed against his bronze, metal body. Centaur darted to the opposite edge of the roof and spun around to throw his arms up in front of himself just in time to protect himself from one of the deadly golden beams of light. An ethereal shield erected before Centaur, just inches from his arms. He clenched his teeth at the deafening roar of the energy, the blinding light as it hit the shield, the searing heat which threatened to melt through his thin wall of protection.

The blast relented and Centaur raised an arm higher to shield his face, biting back a cry as Anubis' claws tore through his black gauntlet. As his blood spilled down his arm, the android shot up with his own clawed gloves on his free hand, striking the unexpecting god upwards with enough force to make him take a step back, an opening of which Centaur took advantage, darting back across the roof.

Black, oily fluid dripped down onto the ground even as the severed metal and wiring began to seal and re-knit itself not unlike a lycanthrope's healing ability. Anubis slowly raised his head and turned to face Centaur, red optic glass shining as brightly as the sun with deadly anger. His golden power enveloped him, an aura of light which promised death. The ground began to crack underneath his paws, spreading like a spider's web over the entire roof and continuing throughout the body of the Fortress.

Centaur looked down on impulse as the cracks swept underneath his boots, causing chunks of the metal roof to jut up and convulse as if a gigantic beast was breathing underneath the floor. "Anubis!" the Healer called, "You're going to destroy the whole place!" He looked back up from the ground only to jerk his head to the side with a sharp, pained yelp, his blood spilling onto the broken ground from new claw marks which marred his face and ruined his left eye. He looked back up, one hand pressed against the new wounds to staunch the blood flow, the golden light surrounding his god blinding him even though he could still see those bright red eyes.

Anubis hissed over the groaning sound of twisting metal as Skull Fortress' foundations began to crumble, bearing his fangs before Centaur's face, "Be sure to offer Hel my greetings." Claws shot forward and tore through black armor to spill blood in a fountain.

Centaur's scream was lost in the roar of the collapsing Fortress, the last Skull Fortress of the Reign of Wily.

* * * * *

The sun was rising when he looked to the sky, veiled in a fog of morning mist, smoke, and dust. Chunks of stone and strips of metal were strewn on the ground, destroyed equipment sparking feebly. He could feel the tugs of souls buried beneath the rubble, could hear their silent questions of why this had happened. Amber optics closed as his head tilted downward. Even he did not know...he had never lost his temper that severely. Skull Fortress lay in ruins by his hands, all inside it dead. He raised a hand to his face, the blood -- organic and artificial -- gone. Nothing stained his metal body -- liquids such as blood just washed right off at his command. Not even dirt tarnished his bronze shine.

He lowered his hand and looked around the destruction once more. The only bodies on top of the debris were those which had been on the roof fighting him, and even they were partially buried. He stepped over to a blood-covered form and knelt down beside it, running his claws through light brown hair before he slid his hands underneath the form and carefully gathering it into his arms. His chest clenched at the weak, pained whimper his action elicited and he cradled the bloody body as gently as he could, letting his power flow to dull the pain.

One blue eye opened slowly, the other too damaged to see, brown hair matted and caked with blood over the wound. He flinched back at first but slowly relaxed as he felt the gentle petting, completely different from before, and he hesitantly began to relax into his god's arms.

"You went...too far..."

Anubis' ears tilted back and he dimmed his optics sadly as he answered, "I know...believe me, I know."

"Why...did you spare me?"

A sad smile curved his muzzle. "When I tore into your stomach...your scream snapped me out of my rage...I couldn't believe that I had injured you so badly and I managed to keep the debris from crushing you." Anubis sighed solemnly. "I'll heal you...just relax. And to think I always told myself I could never hurt you...even in a rage, I never imagined I'd hurt you -- never thought I could any more than I could harm Rock."

"But you _did_ hurt him," Centaur countered before he broke off coughing, his voice rasped and pained, "Can't you...feel his pain? The pain and confusion...from watching you do that...to the others...and then acting so kind to him now?"

His god looked down at the other form nearby, stained and torn clothing barely recognizable as the bright white it had once been. "_Yes_, I feel it, and I hate myself for doing it to him," Anubis hissed in response and shook his head. He sighed and gently reached over to touch Rock's dim soul which had made its way back over to the debris, wincing when it shied back from his hand. "I was only going to kill Wily...but when he brought out Quint and indirectly made Enker jump in my way..."

"What's done...is done," Centaur coughed again, closing his eyes as he felt Anubis' power drift through him to numb the pain further, "Where in Tartarus...did that bullshit legend come from...anyway?"

Anubis snarled, "It was something Thagos pulled out of his ass to start the war between Light and Wily...he knew the power would tempt Wily to the point of starting the wars even though he also knew that there was no way Wily could beat me. No fact at all...except that Thagos knew that such a stupid death would made me appear anyway..."

"And are you...going to correct what you've...done?"

"Of course I am!" came the snapped response just before Anubis gently brushed back Centaur's blood-caked hair and rested one hand over the ruined eye to heal it, "I haven't seen you wear that armor in centuries."

Centaur closed his good eye. "I don't like to wear it...but I had to make sure...I didn't become kibble like the others...didn't work that well...did it?"

"Not very." A wider, more genuine smile spread over his muzzle, and he reached up with his other hand so he could ruffle the android's brown hair. "I'm glad you're happy again though."

"Right now, I'm pissed..."

"True..." Anubis sighed and lowered his hand again. "Are you still trying to find a way back though? Knowing what awaits you?"

Centaur flinched then wiped all emotion from his face before answering, "Yes. The current Fourth is...more my parent than any...of the previous Scions were...she may be strange, but she doesn't...treat me like a tool."

"Yes, yes. You're not fooling me." The smile turned into a grin which made Centaur flush in annoyance. "I know your real reason for wanting to return." Anubis laughed and ruffled Centaur's hair again. He pulled his hand away from the Healer's eye and lowered it to his stomach to heal that wound, Centaur's eyes both opening to watch him. "I can't give you any direct assistance, but...I can give you a push in the right direction." His grin softened at his "grandchild"'s sudden anticipatory, desperate expression. "When you make it back to the Island, go quickly to the Northern shore where the lions weep. You'll find what you need there." The grin faded altogether. "But you might need backup. You know she'll try to claim you as soon as she realizes you've returned..." Centaur hesitated, speechless for a moment before slowly nodding.

Anubis lowered his hand once more and looked around to face the destruction. "Well, I'd better get started. This is going to take a while." He raised his hands in front of his chest, touching the tips of his claws together to form a triangle with his fingers. "Too many of them were beyond loyal to Wily, so I'll send the majority to Judgment, but Rock's friends and a few others can stay...and maybe I can make things a little better for them." He dimmed his optics, falling silent for a moment before speaking one last time. "I'm proud of you. Take care of yourself, Kouma."

Centaur's shoulders tensed and he looked away as he answered, "I...I will..."

"Key of the Twilight" -- Yuki Kajiura  
".hack//sign"


	18. EC Epilogue: Brandnew Way

_Epilogue  
Brandnew Way_

It was a new evening, the sun was shining through the bare-boned trees as it slowly set below the horizon, the breeze was giving him chills, and they were completely and totally lost. He hated winter. His companion loved it, but he hated it. He also hated summer -- give him autumn any time of the year with its not-too-cold-not-too-hot temperatures and multi-colored leaves. Not spring -- spring brought bugs that liked to get into his food. No, autumn was the time of year for him. Not spring, not summer, not winter. Good old autumn. Not that the season had anything to do with the fact that they were lost -- that was his fault entirely. If he had just taken that last right turn at Lorien...

_ I complain too much,_ Enker realized with a sigh.

Skull Fortress was far behind them though not as far as he would like. He had no idea what had happened after Rock had been killed -- everything after that event was a blank -- but judging from what was left of the Fortress he was probably glad he could not remember. Dr. Wily was dead -- again, he did not know how -- as were Magnet and Pharaoh. No more triumvirate, no more headaches.

He had always wanted to explore the world, go on little adventures and bounty hunt to survive, but with the Second Scion's hold over him and the power which held him with the Trio, it had never been possible before. Now he was free to explore as much as he wanted. He had left before the others since he had not had anything in particular to say to them, too eager to begin his new life. Not that most of them would miss him.

Enker yelped and stumbled forward when he was pounced from behind, green-armored arms wrapping around his neck playfully.

"Naa, I think we're going in circles, Sourpuss," Quint piped up, beaming as if it did not bother him. Which it probably did not.

"Think I don't know that?" came the muttered response. It still amazed him. Whatever had happened on the roof of the Fortress, it had dispelled Quint's insanity, the insanity which had driven Enker to attempt killing him years past, and Quint's memories were jumbled as well. As far as he knew, he had always been a weredragon and had never been insane -- as far as he knew, he had been in a coma for the past several years, not in the underground chamber of the Fortress. Enker was not about to spoil things and tell him the truth.

"Ah, cheer up!" Quint laughed, tugging playfully on Enker's cheek, "We've got all the time in the world. So what if it takes longer than usual to get to a town?"

Enker frowned then sighed, nodding. "Yeah, you're right. No deadlines...we can take our time."

"Yep." Quint hopped around to Enker's side and leaned against him. "And besides, I want to get caught up on lost time."

Enker looked back up at the path before them, pausing for a moment before answering, "Yeah." For the first time in what seemed like decades, his shoulders relaxed and tension disappeared.

And he smiled.

"Me too."

* * * * *

"I mean, really, I don't get it," Ring muttered as he glanced over himself curiously, looking under his shirt and staring at what he could of his reflection in one of his discs, "As many times as I shifted in the last few days, I should be obvious! My eyes at the very least should be changed!"

Quick arched an eyebrow as he asked, "You're not complaining, are you?"

"Of course not. I'm just confused..." Ring frowned. "In Lorien, Centaur said my eyes had changed, gotten brighter, but now they're normal again."

Quick shrugged with a small grin, amused at his companion's behavior. "Maybe something happened at the Fortress to change that. I don't know what could have happened though."

"Wish I could remember what happened at all...I mean, the last thing I remember is watching Rock get killed..."

"Don't ask me." Quick shook his head and playfully rubbed the back of Ring's neck. "Just don't worry about it."

Ring sighed. "I guess you're right...I'm not obvious anymore, so I should just shut up." He shook his head as well and looked up at Quick. "So, are we on our way to Muse like we had planned before the dragonsbane and Rock business?"

"...was that where we were headed?" Quick blinked, "Gods, it's been so long since then, I'd forgotten."

Ring laughed. "Your feet are faster than your brain sometimes."

"At least I'm not a scalebrain!" Quick huffed then yelped when Ring pounced him into the tall grass with a playful growl. "Ah! It's got me!" he laughed as he tried to squirm away, "Vile beast!"

"It's what you get for calling me a scalebrain! Rar!" Ring growled, grinning. It did not matter that they could not remember what transpired at the Fortress -- it was over and that was all that mattered. Now they were on their way again and, as usual, they would travel and avoid the Northern region where the Third Scion Dr. Cossack watched for them. It did not matter what happened now.

As long as they had each other.

* * * * *

"They're beautiful, aren't they? The stars, I mean."

"Yeah, they are...it's why I always liked taking walks late at night, that and the dead seem to like the night more...they're more talkative when the sun goes down."

Elec laughed, folding his hands behind his head where he lay on the ground. "Only you would find a way to equate the stars with talking to dead things."

Metal grinned, resting his head on Elec's shoulder. "Yeah, well, to be honest I guess I took the stars for granted...I've never been blind." Elec nodded.

"I wish it could last forever, but Centaur said I'll be lucky if I can see for a whole week." He shrugged. "I'll miss it, but at least I can see you again...see you happy." He smiled down at Metal and touched his hair gently.

The smaller robot's cheeks colored and he averted his gaze timidly before asking, "How did Centaur say it happened again?"

Elec shrugged again. "He's not sure. He thinks I might have gotten whacked on the head hard enough by some of that debris when the Fortress crumbled. It's the only thing that makes sense, really."

"It makes sense, yet it doesn't make sense...you're blind because of your magic, so getting hit on the head shouldn't fix it."

"I'm not complaining." Elec quietly played with Metal's hair. "Even if I go blind again tomorrow...I'll still remember your face when you're smiling. Not before..."

Metal smiled softly, flushing lightly before he hugged Elec close. "Oh, Elec..." He nuzzled the fabric of Elec's tunic before looking back up at him and asking, "So where are we going? Back to Ivona? That's where you were staying, wasn't it?"

"I thought about that," the Myrmidon responded, "And no...I don't think I want to go back. Let's just...explore. Like Quick and Ring...I have stronger magic and can protect you..." He grinned. "And you can keep me from running into things!" Metal's laughter was music to his ears, the soft, carefree laugh it had been years past, dispelling the memory of the harsh laugh of before which had bubbled over with insanity.

Metal sighed when he stopped laughing and nuzzled Elec again. "I love you..."

"I love you too, Metal..."

* * * * *

The first thing that happened when he stepped into his home was he was attacked by all of his dogs and the ferrets. He should have known it would happen and he made sure he pet every one of them senseless before daring to sit down in a chair with a heavy sigh where he was promptly attacked by the cats. Half an hour and a few mouthfuls of cat fur later, he dragged himself back to his feet and headed toward his study.

It had taken most of the day for everyone to recover from their aches and pains and get moving around properly after Anubis revived them. Centaur was thankful that Anubis had wiped their memories of that entire fight -- that entire, traumatizing massacre. By the time everyone had made it back across the lake and to Lorien, it had been dark though it was nice to see that Dr. Light had survived as well thanks to the first army's quick action to rush him out of the Fortress before it crumbled. After saying his goodbyes, Centaur ran home the same way he had run to the Lorien area with Quick just a week past. He would have stayed longer but he had something he wanted to do immediately.

"The Northern shore where the lions weep..." Centaur muttered, "Never heard of it, but he knows what he's talking about..." He searched through his bookshelf and carefully pulled out an old, age-yellowed book, the leather cover brittle and cracked. He set it on his desk and sat down to slowly and carefully look through the pages, quietly muttering to himself as he did so as he had done almost every evening for the past ten years except for a week past when he had rushed out of Khana with Quick.

Centaur reached over to stroke the ears of one of the dogs when it nudged his arm off of the desk then he sighed. He had found the proper ritual and spell to take him home four years past, not long before Dr. Wily had captured and reprogrammed him but fear would not allow him to cast it just yet. He knew what would happen when he finally returned and never wanted to experience that again.

_ The Northern shore where the lions weep..._

He let a small smile curve his lips. With that information...Anubis knew what he wanted to do, and that meant that where ever the "lions weep" that would be where he would find the method of killing her. With her death, he would forever be rid of his fears. _Oh, Metal, if you only knew how much I empathize with what you went through..._

Centaur leaned back in his chair, still staring at the page with the spell he would need to return home. "Home...it's been so long...fifty years? Maybe more..." He glanced out the window he knew pointed to the north and stared out into the sea.

"I'm coming for you, bitch..."

* * * * *

"So, are you going to go back to your house...? I mean...when the lab is rebuilt...I'm sure Dr. Light wouldn't mind..."

"Rock, stop before you have a nosebleed." That only made Rock blush brighter and look away sharply with a squeak. Forte laughed and raised a hand to ruffle his hair. "Anyway, my house actually isn't that far from the lab...while it's being rebuilt, you could stay there and then we'll see..."

"O-Okay..." Rock stared down at the ground and tried to tone down his blushing before he looked back up at Forte. "I just...wanted to thank you...for everything...I never would have made it if you hadn't saved me that night..."

Forte took his turn to look away and hide his flush. "Don't...don't mention it. I'm just glad everything worked out."

Rock beamed, a truly genuine smile spreading over his face, the first in what seemed like ages which seemed to light the area and lift all negative feelings. Forte returned the smile with one of his own. "I'm also glad it's over...no more Wily, no more wars..." Rock sighed happily, "Just...peace. Finally. I've waited too long for it...and you'll enjoy it with me right?"

Forte hesitated before looking down with another small smile. "Of course."

"Hey, Rock! Hurry it up -- Dr. Light and the others are already over the next hill!"

Rock squeaked and ran forward to catch up. "Coming!"

Forte paused, watching Rock run toward the sunrise, toward the silhouette of one of their companions against the sun, the companion whose long scarf flew in the wind like the tail of a kite soaring high above the clouds.

Forte smiled once more. Peace and happiness...

Now those were two ideas he could come to like.

"Brandnew Way" -- Ganasia  
"Rockman 8"

**NK*notes!**: Okay, now you are all going to totally hate me.

I left the end wide open for the sequel I had been planning to be focused around Centaur.

But I'm not writing it because I completely lost interest in it. I'm not going to write something I've lost interest in. Someday, I might go back and start on it but if I start on it now while I'm not interested in it, you'll just be left hanging after one or two chapters. I was really looking forward to writing it when I started planning it, but after losing interest in it and almost losing interest in this story (I almost completely stopped working on it about chapter 12) I don't want to risk it. I write for fun, not as an obligation.

Besides, I want to get started on _Endless Waltz_ again and rewrite it. You probably won't see much by me after this, but I'll do my best.

It's been fun, and I hope I can dredge up the will to work on the sequel because I love Hesparia and everything I've created for it.

If you want to contact me for any reason, praise, flames, kicks in the ass for the ending being so foofy, kicks in the ass to get working on the sequel, etc., my email is noble_knight [at] cwazy [dot] co [dot] uk (take that, spam bots).


	19. Die Verbotene Insel: 00 Rotes Blut

**NKnotes!:** WTFNK'SNOTDEAD?!?!

NK is suffering tremendous bouts of depression, moodswings, and general laziness, but no, she is not dead! Unfortunately, her return is too late because she has most certainly lost all of her fans by now in the last 3 (or is it 4?) years. D:

I have my excuses, but that doesn't really matter. What does matter is this for those still remaining: this is going to be slow. I wanted to get that out right now. It's taken me no less than SIX MONTHS (and possibly longer, actually) to type up this first chapter - the prologue has been written for the last 3 years. This section of the overall story is not going to be very long though - 10 chapters max, but I doubt there will even be THAT many.

Also, one more thing...**I REWROTE THE FIRST TWO CHAPTERS OF EC. I DID NOT DO THIS (only) FOR MY HEALTH, SO IF NO ONE READS THEM, I WILL BE SEVERELY UPSET.**

In bold caps because it seems that's the best way to get people's attention. It would be in red too if would let me.

If anyone's still interested, the second part of three (yes, trilogy) in the tale of Hesparia starts now.

_0.0 Rot_

The world was created in a contest among the gods to see which was most powerful. Horus created the planet, the moons, and the stars, and Isis breathed life into the world, pulling at the ground to form mountains, digging crevices to form canyons and rivers, and mixing together earth and water to create plant life. Sekhmet in turn used her power to place animals and insects among the trees and in the seas and also placed her greatest creation, humans, on the land to govern the lesser creatures -- those not gifted with the intelligence she granted the humans. Isis, impressed with Sekhmet's achievement, granted her fellow goddess' children with magic to aid them in the harsh world and to protect themselves against the more vicious creatures.

Anubis, seeing his opportunity to surpass Sekhmet, gathered four humans together and granted them intelligence surpassing even their fellow humans -- the gift of technology. Thus created, the Scions grouped together to invent tools with which to aid those not gifted with their ability, creating sturdier plows for farms, tools for shearing sheep, and better methods of protection from harsh winds and rain during the stormy seasons, particularly by the sea. Soon after, the Scions congregated and agreed to collaborate on the creation of another species of creature, one which would also aid the other humans but would be able to withstand hardships and attacks of nature which frail humans could not.

Thus, the first robot was created, and after him, many more. The Scions granted them souls so they would be able to think for themselves and make proper judgements based on many different circumstances. These strange, metallic creatures lived amongst the humans in peace for decades before a tragedy disturbed the balance of power.

Sekhmet, enraged for nearly a century at Anubis' meddling with her creations, attacked the Fourth Scion, tainting his mind and setting the stage for what would then on be known as the War of the Scions.

The insanity induced by magic which warped the Scion's mind soon spread outward, tainting his creations as well as the other Scions'. They began to lust for blood and first attacked each other, staining the ground red and black before they realized humans were much easier to kill. Unable to run fast enough to escape nor fight for their lives, humans fell by the hundreds, becoming food for the mad robots which bathed in the blood spilled by their claws, and their Soulgivers could not destroy them fast enough. The cycle of death continued before the only robot which escaped the insanity finally stepped forward to put a stop to the war.

The First, the only one still sane, leapt into the battle to protect the defenseless humans. He fought hand-to-claw against the mad ones, defeating them one at a time either by killing them himself or by holding them still long enough for one of the other three Scions to destroy its soul and free it from its mental turmoil. The humans gave him the title of Peacekeeper as he continued to fight for them for nearly a year before the insanity finally claimed him as well.

Finally, Anubis stepped in to right Sekhmet's wrongdoing. He gathered all of the tainted robots and humans including the eternally insane Fourth Scion and sealed them all onto an island near the center of the Inner Sea. A barrier kept them inside where he left them to recover on their own or kill each other until only one remained -- whichever came first. The remaining three Scions set about rebuilding everything which was destroyed during the war, gathering Healers from throughout the world to aid those still suffering.

Nearly thirty thousand years passed, and most of the world's inhabitants forgot about the existence of the Forbidden Island, and even fewer remember why it was isolated from the rest of the world. Only history books and legends remain--

Centaur scowled as he slammed the book shut, sending forth a cloud of dust which made both of his cats sneeze and jolt awake from the nap they were enjoying in his lap. He reached down idly to give them both an ear rub as he glared out of the window which pointed north. There was an autumn fog on the sea, and it had seeped into the port side of Khana. It misted his windows, but the sea was still partially visible.

After a moment, he tossed the book onto his desk with a disgusted snort. _I don't know why I keep reading that,_ he growled to himself. _It always pisses me off..._ The nudge of a cold, wet nose against his right arm told him he needed to stop staring out the window. He had work to do and not much time left to do it. "Alright, up," he told the disappointed felines in his lap and stood when they had both finished stretching and yawning and acting as if it was their idea to leave. His schnauzer began hopping on her back legs, hoping it was her turn to be held now. Centaur just looked down at her for a moment before he decided to humor her for a few minutes and carried her to the next room where he had begun packing.

"I need to travel light...there's no telling what'll happen," he muttered to himself as he set the dog down on his bed where she promptly began bouncing again and ultimately fell off the edge. "It's a good thing I've got some really understanding neighbors." He shook his head and glanced at a small table where he had begun writing a note. That needed to be sent before he did anything else. He quickly finished writing it and left his house to deliver it to Khana's messenger service which would send the note by hawk to its destination. Hawks were more expensive than pigeons which were the usual messenger birds, but it was faster, and the message needed to be delivered as soon as possible.

_I'm going to need backup_, he sighed inwardly as he started back home to finish packing. _Just in case..._


	20. Die Verbotene Insel: 01 Blaue Himmel

_0.1 Blau_

He was not quite sure where he was - slick, marble-like material made up the floor, metal stretching up to form three of four walls, and the fourth wall directly across from him was very strange, almost like metal but not quite. It was as if someone had taken a giant metal sheet and tirelessly polished it until it was able to reflect everything before it, but even the most skillfully polished metal could not so perfectly reflect its surroundings as this wall did.

Fascinated by it, he stepped toward the reflective surface and ran his fingers down the panel which was as smooth and cool as glass, scrutinizing his reflection as he did so. His armor was not the blue it should have been, scorched black and stained red with patches of brown. His blue-green eyes seemed haunted and traumatized in the image though he could not fathom why.

Tearing his fascination from the wall, he turned to his left to see what appeared to be an ornate water basin. It was a shining, polished white and appeared to be made from a strange type of glass he had never seen before. As he stepped closer to it to appease his curiosity further, he noticed three metal extensions over the basin, connecting to the wall. One was long and tube-shaped and hung between two dented, metal spheres. The spheres were adorned with two colors and two letters - the one on his right bore the letter "C" in blue, and the left was adorned with the letter "H" in red.

Curiosity unbearable now, he experimentally reached out to run his fingers over the perfectly smooth contours forming dents in the metal spheres. There were exactly eight indentions on each one, and they almost appeared to be for decoration rather than signs of damage. Turning his attention to the tube, he discovered the opening pointed down into the basin, and in the center of the basin was a hole leading down another tube and disappearing into the floor. He was uncertain his fascination could grow any further even as he touched the sphere on his right again and gave into the fleeting question in the back of his mind of what might happen if he tried to turn it.

He jumped away from the basin after doing so, startled by a sudden stream of water which erupted from the tube. The water flowed over the surface of the basin and down the hole in its center, disappearing even as the water continued to flow from the metal tube. As the tension of being caught off guard left him, he found himself leaping back toward the basin and beaming at the water in wonderment like a child with a new toy. How curious and delightful it was to have water appear at his mere touch rather than dragging the basin out to a stream and hoping no fish decided to join him.

He let the water flow through his hands for a moment before gathering a handful and bringing it to his lips for an experimental sip. It even tasted better than stream water - crisp and cold and delighting his senses. Unbearably fascinated now, he turned the other sphere, and the flow of water strengthened slightly. Within seconds, he saw steam begin to rise from where the water flowed down the hole in the basin, and his delight began anew. How wonderful an invention this was - not only could it deliver clean, delicious water at the turn of a sphere that was colder than anyone not gifted with magic could even attempt to make, but it also heated the water in a way he had never witnessed before beyond magic as well. Surely, this must have been a new form of magic, maybe a gift from Isis herself.

Suddenly, the water ceased disappearing down the hole in the basin, and something in the wall creaked and groaned as water began filling the basin itself like a puddle. As if that was not startling enough, the water abruptly became red and thicker than water should have been. A foul, coppery stench hit his senses, and he recoiled at the familiar, sickening stench of blood. He almost fled away, but he regained his composure just long enough to quickly reach toward the spheres and turn them back the way they were before. Abruptly, the flow of blood ceased, but the amount which had already flowed remained in the basin, attacking his senses.

Delight forgotten, he took several steps away before turning to try to leave this strange room. A panel in the wall to his left appeared to be a door, but it had no knob or handle, and he could not discern how to open it even as he ran his hands over every inch of its surface.

His attention snapped back to the basin when he heard the groaning noise from a moment earlier, and a startled yelp escaped his throat when the metal tube on the wall suddenly shot off to allow viscous, red fluid to surge into the basin. The flow was much faster and heavier than before, and the basin quickly flooded, spilling its burden onto the floor. Panicked now, he tried hitting and kicking the door, but it still would not open even as he turned back to the basin to see the blood streaming over the floor toward him.

Something caught his attention out of the corner of his eye, and he turned back to the strange, perfectly reflective wall. The reflection was not as perfect as before, however, and he paled at what it showed him. In the reflection, the blood on the floor was steaming, and the wall he was pressed against turned black and red as if it were rusting at a phenomenal speed with black tendrils beginning to spread over the floor and ceiling.

A sudden burning sensation on his ankle tore his attention from the reflective wall and down to the floor where he saw a similar tendril snaring his leg, more erupting from the floor as the wall began to rust just as in the image on the wall, as if it had shown him a vision of the future. He let a choked scream escape his throat as he struggled against the burning tendril around his ankle even as his other ankle was snared as well as his arm from another tendril from the ceiling. They burned terribly, and he could feel them snaking through his armor and into his skin like leeches, and he screamed again.

_"Roooock..."_

Thoroughly panicking now, he was terrified to know who it was calling him, but he reluctantly and slowly turned his head back to his reflection again, trembling with fear. His reflection was no longer true just as with the rest of the room before.

_"Rock..."_ the image repeated, grinning slowly at him. It still looked like him, but he could tell there was something horribly wrong with it. Its eyes were not his, almost glowing with malice and evil. He jerked his gaze away and focused his efforts on escaping the black snakes cocooning him, trying to block out the image's persistant calling.

_"Rock..."_

_"Rock...!"_

"Rock!"

"Rock, wake up!"

* * *

Rock awoke with an embarrassingly loud snort, his heart pounding in his chest which was pressed against the bed, his right arm dangling along with his right leg off the edge of the bed and threatening to drag the rest of him to the floor. He blinked stupidly at the portion of the wall he was staring at from his head's position with his chin and half his face buried in his pillow. The wall filling his field of vision was comfortingly familiar, and he quickly relaxed once more, pushing the strange nightmare from his mind - he had other things to think about already. Aside from being half on and half off the bed, he was exceedingly uncomfortable - what _was_ that repeatedly jabbing him in the ribs? Oh.

He forced himself to look to his left and meet Forte's exhausted, admonishing gold glare. "Whut?" Rock slurred. "Was I snorin' again?"

"I wish," Forte answered. "I can sleep through yours." Forte raised a hand to wearily rub his eyes. "We need to talk."

"'bout whaaaaa..." Rock's response was cut off by a very long yawn as he realized just how bright the room was from the morning sun and tried to bury his face fully in his pillow.

"My house isn't big enough for the ten of us."

Just as he said that, Rock cringed and covered his ears at a sharp whistle piercing through his early morning euphoria which was shortly followed by a loud demand of, "Who wants breakfast?"

"_How_ can he be so perky in the mornings?" Rock whined. "_How_?!"

"He's your brother," Forte murmured in response. "You tell me." Rock only answered that with another whine which was cut off by a second long yawn.

"It's not much," Blues was saying when Rock and Forte emerged from their room, "but it's the best I could do until the weather starts warming up again so I can hunt." Dry biscuits and cold bacon and sausage were not exactly the breakfast of heroes, but no one complained as Blues divided everything be bought amongst those present, giving Guts and Dr. Light the larger portions - Guts because of his girth and Dr. Light because he needed the nutrition. Tango received his own sausage link and slice of bacon as well which he gladly accepted with a loud, resounding purr.

Thanking Blues for his own portion of breakfast, Rock glanced around the room and found himself agreeing with Forte's statement earlier. Forte's home was meant to hold one or two, three at the absolute most. Ten made the tiny cabin a breeding ground for claustrophobia. Dr. Light had been given the larger cot to sleep on, leaving the remaining smaller one for Cut, Ice, and Fire to take turns sleeping on. Bomb and Guts were too large for either cot, leaving them to sleep on the floor made ever so slightly more comfortable by piling together all of Forte's spare blankets as well as a few extras he put forth the money to buy from Ivona. Blues preferred to sleep outside under the stars, but as winter drew closer and closer, Rock knew his brother would have to give in to the cold soon and come inside to the fire, further cramping the tiny cabin.

Speaking of the fireplace... "Fire?" Rock hinted to his brother between mouthfuls of bacon. Fire nodded and quickly lit the fireplace aflame to break the chill in the room. Tango was immediately curled in front of it, and the room fell silent save for the sound of chewing and Tango's purring. It remained that way until nearly everyone was finished eating when Blues finally decided it was time to break the silence.

"We need to get back to work and at least get the roof up before it starts snowing," the eldest stated. A series of exhausted sighs sounded in response, but no one disagreed with him. The reconstruction of Dr. Light's laboratory was going much slower than any of them anticipated even with everyone doing his part. Cut was kept busy with chopping lumber while Guts carried the downed trees to the site of the ruined laboratory which had been completely burned away by Fire to make room for a whole new building. Forte and Rock helped Ice shape the trees into proper logs to form the building while Bomb traversed to the rocky hills to the south every day to detonate granite to form the future fireplaces which Blues dragged back to the site in a barrow.

Rock jumped when he was torn from his daydreaming by a flash of light darting past his face, and he smiled at the tiny point of light bobbing up and down in front of him as if telling him to wake up already.

Roll's body was never found after the destruction of Skull Fortress when Dr. Light and the others returned to the ruined laboratory, but thankfully, using his connection to her as her Soulgiver, he was able to locate and draw her soul to him. He would not be able to construct her a new body until the new laboratory was finished, and even then, he and his creations had to raise the money for it as well as gather the materials, but the important thing was they had her soul - as long as they had that, it did not matter how long they delayed her new body.

Roll, however, seemed to disagree to a point. She was becoming increasingly annoying as her boredom intensified, darting around everyone, getting in their faces, and floating off and hiding just to make Rock and Blues panic. Only in the past two weeks had Tango begun entertaining her to keep her out of her brothers' way as they attempted to rebuild the laboratory, and even Tango's patience ran thin. He could only pounce and bat at her for so long before it became a bore.

Rock shook his head and finished eating as Roll's soul darted away to torment someone else. "Blues is right," he finally spoke. "We've got the walls up - if we can just get the roof up before it starts snowing, we can work on the interior through the winter from the inside. It'll at least get us out of the majority of the cold, especially since Ice finished all of the shutters yesterday." Ice nodded and beamed, very proud of himself and his work. His shutters would keep out the wind easily - they just needed to be given proper hinges and attached to the windows.

"The floor can wait until then too," Dr. Light agreed. "How long do you think it will take to finish the roof?"

Cut gave them both an exasperated look. "My blades can't take much more," he remarked, reminding them that Dr. Light had only resharpened his blades two days before. "The wood is stiffening in preparation for the winter - I'm dulling faster than I'm cutting at this point. If we're going to get _anything_ else done before the snow comes, I'm going to need help cutting the trees."

At this, Forte finally spoke, rubbing at still sleepy eyes, "I can contact Metal and Elec - they're staying at Ivona for the winter since Elec is still welcome at the cathedral. Metal should be able to at least keep your blades sharp if not help cut the trees himself."

"Do you have any idea where Quick might be? He might be able to help too," Rock asked, but Forte shook his head.

"I wouldn't be surprised if they went over the mountains southwest to get away from the weather," was Forte's answer. He left the statement hanging. Everyone in the room except possibly Roll knew when he said "weather" that he really meant "Dr. Cossack" whose hatred of lycanthropes would not give Ring peace.

"Well," Ice spoke up, "since I'm done with the shutters, want me to go to Ivona and see if Metal and Elec can come help? It'll take a few days, but I can get some more food while I'm there."

Dr. Light nodded. "We'll need as much help as we can get if we want to finish in time," he agreed, "and Elec can help me with setting up and charging the energy rods." While he had no true magic unlike his creations, there were many advantages to being a Scion. With the proper materials, he could transmute rods of metal to bury in the ground. Once in the ground and connected to a similarly transmuted and constructed vessel, they would use the warmth held deep in the earth to provide energy for the laboratory. It was much more reliable than using the power of the sun, especially given the forest surroundings and infamous rains of summer around Ivona. Similarly, he could conjure the materials he would need to rebuild Roll. Vines could be cut and transmuted into wires, branches to metallic rods to be further converted into bones, and stones to metal plates to create the computer boards needed for the body's processes. He could also use skins from the animals they killed to make skin and artificial organs and straw to make hair. However, that would all be unnecessary until the laboratory was completed. He had already completed the energy rods and only needed to bury, connect, and charge them which Elec could do easily, blind or not.

The later part of the morning was spent preparing for the rest of the day. Ice and Blues left at the same time, Ice to begin his trek to Ivona and Blues to get an early start hauling stones to the site of the laboratory and make sure none of their supplies had been wisked away in the night by curious raccoons. It would not have been the first time.

Guts and Bomb left soon after Blues followed by Fire. Rock, Forte, and Dr. Light were the last to leave with Tango prancing ahead through the brush. Roll flitted behind Tango, riding on his tail while Rock stretched in the morning sunlight, nightmare forgotten.

"So," Forte spoke as they walked, pushing a low branch out of Dr. Light's way. "How are we going to do this? Sod roof, or should we lay down a wooden roof and go buy some tarp to convert to shingles?" The roof of his own cabin was sod, and it was very effective against rain and snow as well as insulated even if it had a tendency to drop worms on his bed every so often. He had long since given up figuring out how worms got onto the roof in the first place.

"I'd say sod if it was summer," Dr. Light sighed, "but it's too late for that - the grass wouldn't grow, and the whole roof would wash away the next time it rains." The Scion shook his head. "No, I'd better transmute something to some metal and make shingles.

Rock frowned and spoke in protest, "Are you sure you should? You've been pushing yourself a lot lately converting material."

Dr. Light laughed and pat Rock's shoulder reassuringly. "Don't worry so much," he replied. "Turning tree bark into metal is nothing. I'm not that old." Rock flushed and tried to stammer an apology for insinuating his creator was old, but Dr. Liht just laughed. "All I want you to focus on is completing the hinges for the roof and making sure Blues isn't pushing himself too hard and overworking his body." Rock nodded in agreement. He was already forcing Blues to slow down more than the older robot would have liked, but it was necessary. Three years of his soul being separated from his body had greatly weakened its connection to it, and if he worked himself too hard and came too close to exhausting himself, his soul tried to escape his weakened body. Dr. Light was not certain if the connection would ever strengthen to what it was, and his attempts to use his power as a Scion to try to fix it seemed to only put Blues in pain, so they decided it would be best to leave well enough alone as long as Blues remained cautious. Unfortunately, Blues was never the "cautious" one of his three creations when it came to taking care of himself.

Rock tore himself from his thoughts in time to block a branch swinging back toward his face.

"Sorry," Forte apologized. "Lost my grip on it." Rock just nodded and yawned again, shaking his head as they finally came to the clearing where the laboratory was being reconstructed. It was not a pretty sight yet, but they were doing their best. Fire was already checking the site for brush to clear before he started away to help Blues hauling rocks. cut could be heard in the trees cutting branches and calling for attention when they fell to make sure he did not hit anyone.

Rock stretched one more time before stepping over to the pile of felled branches to sort and move them out of the way. Some were big enough to use for firewood at Forte's house, and it was pointless letting them go to waste, and the smaller ones would be transmuted to other materials by Dr. Light. Besides, the less firewood Cut had to gather, the more pleasant he was to live with.

They had all decided to take advantage of having to rebuild the laboratory. It would be double, almost triple, the size of the old one with a private room for everyone, a large lounge with a spacious fireplace, a combined kitchen and dining room for Roll, and, of course, a workroom for Dr. Light. Granted, at first glance, one could not see such a home rising from the four walls and muddy ground that was the building now, but as Rock said, they could take their time finishing the interior once the roof was complete and waterproof so long as they continually succeeded in ignoring the claustrophobic atmosphere of Forte's house.

Rock cringed at a horrific yowl which tore him from his thoughts, and he turned to see Tango hissing like an enraged tea kettle at Roll's soul from his position hiding behind an exasperated Fire. He could not be sure, but Roll almost looked amused which only further angered the poor feline.

Rock sighed and shook his head. It was going to be yet another long day.

* * *

Hair the color of blood was brushed aside out of eyes like the embers of a dying fire, candlelight dancing over snowy skin before it was snuffed out by a brass tube. An icy chill gripped the cathedral, warning all inside that winter was fast approaching. If he could have his way, he would leave the candles lit indefinitely to provide at least some additional warmth. However, he was only a guest and could not complain too much - after all, the cathedral at least served as a buffer from the winter winds. Regardless, he was growing more and more tempted to ask his companion if he would mind terribly going east toward the mountains where it would stay warm another moon or two. As a Necromancer, he was naturally resistant to the cold, but that did not mean he had to like it.

As if sensing his thoughts, Metal felt strong arms encircle him and pull him against a broad chest covered by an impossibly soft fur cloak, and he felt his companion bury his face in his hair to breathe in his scent. He was still growing accustomed to that - because Elec could no longer see him thanks to his handicap of blindness, he instead found ways to compensate the loss of his sight and used other methods to enjoy the smaller robot's company. Not that Metal minded, of course.

"You still refuse to tell me what animal this came from so I can get me one," he murmured, turning his head just enough to rub his cheek against the black fur of Elec's cloak.

"And you still refuse to believe me when I tell you I have no idea," came Elec's response, muffled by Metal's hair.

"If you have no idea, how did you get it in the first place?" Metal inquired. It was a valid question - he always assumed Elec had slain the beast himself and had the cloak made from its hide.

However, Elec answered, contradicting his love's assumption, "Ring and Quick gave it to me one Solstice about two years ago when they were passing through. They didn't say what it was, so I didn't ask." Metal let out a disappointed sigh. As much as Ring and Quick traveled, there was really no telling where they happened upon the pelt's original owner, and after two years, it was equally debatable as to whether or not they even remembered slaying the beast in the first place. "I'm wanting to think it's gargoyle," Elec continued in an attempt to console his love. "Gargoyle or Winterborne."

Metal shuddered at the mention of the Winterborne and shook his head. "Werewyvern or not, I don't see Ring taking on the Winterborne deer clan. And they don't come in black, anyway."

Elec shrugged. "They could have had it dyed. But I doubt it's Winterborne anyway - Ring would have bragged about it if it was." Metal nodded - slaying a Winterborne stag was definitely something to brag about. A gargoyle was not exactly an easy target either, but it was a guppy compared to a metaphorical shark that was a deer even if the Winterborne were arguably one of the least dangerous of the six Clans with the Nightborne and Deathborne being the most dangerous.

Metal ceased mulling over his thoughts at the sound of the cathedral main door creaking open to which Elec announced tiredly, "All the Healers have retired for the night, and the High Priest doesn't do confessions today."

"Oh, so you're kicking me out, hmm?" was the amused response which fully grabbed Elec's attention and caused a warm smile to spread over Metal's face.

"Ice!" the Necromancer spoke. "How are you? Is everyone still working on rebuilding the lab?"

Ice nodded then answered, "We're doing okay though I suspect Forte's getting tired of tripping over us. The lab's coming along nicely, but that's what I came for." At Metal's inquisitive glance, he continued, "We're trying to get the roof up before winter completely settles in and starts dumping snow on us, and I told everyone I'd come see if you'd mind helping Cut with the lumberwork, and Dr. Light could use Elec's help charging the energy rods so they'll be ready to power the lab."

"Oh, I wouldn't mind at all," Metal replied. "I'm not good at cutting down trees, but I can do my best." Elec nodded in agreement.

"He's been getting tired of this place anyway," Elec remarked teasingly and only grinned when Metal elbowed him in the ribs. "They won't let him take over the kitchen, so he's getting antagonistic." That earned him another jab to the ribs. "See?"

Ice laughed. "Well, regardless of your reasoning, we'll definitely appreciate the help. I'm also picking up supplies while I'm here, but it's later in the day than I thought it would be, so I'll have to take care of that tomorrow."

"We've got some spare money we can pitch in," Metal offered, earning another thanks from the eldest of the three.

"In that case, the least I can do is offer to take you to the tavern to eat," Ice said. "You haven't eaten already, have you?"

Elec shook his head before responding, "No, and it's just as well. If you knew the kind of food the cathedral feeds us, you wouldn't blame Metal for wanting to take over the kitchen." Metal stuck his tongue out in agreement and earned another laugh from Ice. "Let's go ahead and pack what few things we have, and we'll meet you there, okay?" Ice nodded, thanked them once more, and turned to leave the cathedral and claim a table at the nearby tavern before it completely filled up for the night.

"Maybe it'll be a little warmer there than it is here," Metal muttered as he guided Elec around the benches toward their given room.

"Doubtful. If they don't have the roof up, it's probably safe to say they don't have any fireplaces built in either." At Metal's sigh, Elec continued mischievously, "Oh, come now. You know I'll keep you warm." He did not need his sight to know Metal blushed furiously at that remark.

However, having his sight probably would have helped him dodge the pillow aimed at his face.

* * *

"That can't be right."

"Of course it is!"

"You _do_ realize, don't you, that rooves are _not_ flat?"

Rock frowned, thinking about that. It was true that Forte's roof was slanted to the back like a lean-to, and all of the rooves in every town and village he could think of had two-panel, slanted rooves, but the roof they had just spent the better part of three days assembling looked just fine as one piece flat over the building.

Forte sighed, "What do you think is going to happen to the rain and snow, Rock? It's just going to sit there in the middle. If it doesn't collapse that section of the roof from weight, it will from rotting out the wood. That's why it needs to be slanted - so it'll run off."

"Okay, okay, I get your point." Rock sulked, feeling exceptionally stupid now as he turned to tell Cut the bad news - they still needed his blades. Cut certainly could have reacted to the announcement worse than he did. Granted, he still could have reacted better than fainting.

"Let him rest," Dr. Light spoke to prevent Rock from waking Cut. "It's unreasonable to expect him to do everything. We can wait to finish the roof when Ice comes back and see if he had any luck finding and convincing Metal to come with him."

"But Fire thinks it's going to snow tomorrow," Rock protested with a wary glance to the gloomy, overcast sky.

"If it does, so be it." Dr. Light shrugged. "If all else fails, we can go stay in Ivona for the winter so we won't inconvenience Forte further."

Forte objected, "I don't mind-"

"Oh, _please_," Rock interrupted, rolling his eyes. "You've done nothing but complain every morning for the last moon and a half."

"My only complaint is Guts' snoring!" Forte retorted to defend himself. "And I think _everyone_'s been complaining about that." The bickering escalated from there as if the two were annoyed peahens, and all Dr. Light could do was watch and listen with unrestrained amusement. It was no uncommon occurance despite how they cared for each other. The Scion knew the crowding of the house was beginning to wear on all of them, and perhaps it would be best after all to transfer everyone to Ivona or Fuu for the remainder of the reconstruction. Both villages were of nearly equal distance from the laboratory though Ivona was certainly bigger than Fuu, and they would be able to restock their supplies more reliably in the bigger village.

"Guts _does_ have a horrific snore," came a comment behind Dr. Light, drawing the Scion's attention from his thoughts. Blues set down a wheel barrow and stretched before proceeding to dump the load of rock slabs onto the ground. "This should be enough to finish all the fireplaces," the eldest of Dr. Light's creations stated. He started to add something before his creator cut him off.

"Where did you get that wheel barrow?" Dr. Light asked accusingly, giving his creation a look that was half amused and half exasperated.

"...somewhere," came the reluctant response.

"Blues, tell me."

"I don't want to."

Rock rolled his eyes as he carried a few of the slabs across the site, calling back to his brother, "There's a word for people like you - I think it's 'kleptomaniac'."

"I prefer to call it opportunist," Blues huffed in response.

"And _I_'d prefer if you took that back where you 'borrowed' it," Dr. Light demanded. Blues sulked but finished emptying it of rock slabs before he turned to take it back where ever he first acquired it. As he was leaving, Ice emerged from the opposite side of the site and hailed Dr. Light while Metal carefully guided Elec around the last few bushes in their path.

The younger of the two blinked stupidly at Cut's unconscious form before working his way around him so Elec would not trip. "Looks like I came just in time," Metal remarked as Rock set down the rock slabs he was carrying and worked his way through the site to greet his blind brother.

"Indeed," Dr. Light responded, "but he's exhausted for today, so we're going to have to wait to continue in the morning. We've almost finished the roof." Metal nodded though the sight of the flat panel roof was amusing to say the least.

"Let's head back," Rock spoke. "Since it's getting dark soon, Fire, Bomb, and Guts will start heading back here, and they'll go back to Forte's when they see no one's here." Dr. Light agreed and scooped Tango into his arms while Rock dragged Cut to his feet, both ignoring the shell-shocked look Forte was giving the two new people he was going to have to find room for in his rapidly shrinking home.


	21. Die Verbotene Insel: 02 Grüne Felder

_0.2 Grüne Felder_

The first thing he noticed was the room was dark - very dark. He could not see his hand raised before his face, could not even determine if he was indoors our outdoors. The ground beneath him seemed to be solid enough to be indoor flooring, but he could not be positive. His sight was deprived, but his sense of smell was not, and the overwhelming stench of copper or iron was unmistakable, the sour scent making his eyes water and a chill trail down his spine. It was an all too familiar scent, one which continually induced nightmares, but even in nightmares, it never smelled this _real_.

A tiny line of light formed on the floor like the door to a dark room being cracked open, and the source of the stench was obvious, a pool of red spread over the floor and trailing up to the still form of a body robed in black, leaning heavily against a wall. A cry caught in his throat, unable to escape, and he squeezed his eyes shut at the first glimpse of platinum hair, trying to think rationally. It had to be a nightmare - it was nearly the same he had every night for the past several months.

_But that smell..._

He knew that smell, recognized it even in a dream, and it was so strong he could not be certain it was indeed a dream after all - sour and sweet at the same time just like all freshly spilled blood. Its familiarity made his stomach churn, and he bit his tongue to ward away memories of the taste.

A hissing laugh made his eyes snap back open. It sounded as real as the blood smelled, and a shudder coursed through him as that hateful voice purred into his ear, _"I let you go, but I never said I wouldn't stake my claim on you again, Sweet Child O' Mine..."_

* * *

"Metal?"

"Mmm...?"

"...that's really kind of disturbing."

"That's your problem." Metal stuck his tongue out at Forte and resumed sharpening Cut's blades. It was a very relaxing task, and he quite enjoyed the sound of stone against metal and the feel of the friction through the sharpening stone. Whether or not it was disturbing the others did not matter. Even before his years as a Blood Scylla, he always found a certain enjoyment and relaxation in sharpening something from his own blades to cooking knives.

He frowned at that memory, brought to mind the nightmare he had endured the night before. It was nothing out of the ordinary - ever since he had regained his sanity only a few months past, nightmares were a constant plague, and he rarely was able to sleep a whole night uninterrupted.

_But that smell..._ Metal unconsciously chewed on his tongue to ward away memories of the taste though there was nothing he could do to prevent remembering the smell. Never before in any of his nightmares had the scent been so realistic, so perfect, and that horrible voice he had suffered listening to for half a decade...it had never penetrated his dreams before, and truthfully, he had nearly forgotten what it sounded like - until the night before.

"Metal, are you offending people with your hobbies?" Elec called over from where he was helping Dr. Light charge and bury the energy rods as Ice connected them to the construction site.

"Oh, shut up," Metal snapped in response, thankful for the distraction. He shook his head and finished sharpening the blade in his lap, setting it aside to return to Cut when the older robot needed to either switch blades or take a break. He reminded himself it was only another nightmare and that he needed to leave it at that rather than dwell on it and upset himself. Nodding as if to emphasize that thought, Metal stood and brushed dust from his clothing as he gazed around the construction site, surveying their progress.

Despite much bickering and despite the fact that they only had two more helping, progress on the roof had skyrocketed, and it was nearly ready to secure to the top of the laboratory. All which remained then was for Dr. Light to finish converting tree bark to shingles and someone to nail them in place. Overall, Rock was very pleased and glad Forte had originally suggested calling upon Metal and Elec's aid even if stepping on someone trying to sleep was now unavoidable in Forte's tiny cabin. The two had been shoved into Forte's makeshift kitchen simply because there was absolutely no more room anywhere else in the house save for the bathroom, and no one wanted to be trying to sleep in there when Dr. Light had to take care of his pesky human "business".

"Oy, Rock!" Fire called from beyond the bushes, on his way back from Forte's house where he had retreated to find some more nails. Rock, still working on the fireplaces with Blues, finished securing a slab of rock in place with clay before stepping out of the site to see what Fire needed.

His silver and red brother had a messenger hawk perched on one armored arm, its feather-light pouch still secure around its chest with a thick tag securing it shut, two recipients' names written on it: Rock and Forte. "It was perched on the roof when I went back for the nails," Fire stated as he passed the bird to Forte who, thanks to being a Beastmaster, knew how to handle the hawk without its talons shredding his unprotected arm.

While Forte handled the bird, Rock broke off the securing tag and pulled a piece of parchment out of its pouch. The elder of the two took a moment to briefly glance over the note before stating, "It's from Centaur." This announcement snared the attention of all present - only Cut was oblivious, having decided to take a brief nap while Metal sharpened his blades.

"What does he want?" Blues asked, voicing the question on everyone's mind as he too emerged from the unfinished building, Roll's soul riding on the tails of his blindfold.

"I'm not sure..." Rock reluctantly admitted. "All he said is, 'I need your help. Come see me in Khana if you have the time to spare. This may take a while.'"

Metal frowned. It was not like Centaur at all to be so vague even in a letter. "That's really strange of him," the Necromancer stated. "He usually doesn't ask for help from anyone, and when he does, he's never that vague." Elec nodded in agreement.

"Khana's at least a week away though by foot," Forte said. "Almost two if the weather doesn't cooperate." Rock nodded in agreement, remembering how long it took himself and Forte on their last journey though that had been slowed even further by attacks set against them by the now thankfully dead Dr. Wily. "And he addressed it to both of us?"

"You should probably go," Blues spoke up, drawing Rock's attention. "Like Metal said, it's not like him to ask for help, so it must be serious. The rest of us can finish the roof while you're gone, and I can manage the fireplaces by myself." Rock chewed his lip, not as certain as his brother about this. It was awfully sudden, and the uncharacteristic nature of the letter did not give him a good feeling.

"Well..." Forte drawled, rubbing the back of his neck as he mulled over their options, "we can go see what he needs, and if we can't help him, we can always come back." He shrugged. "And if we can, we can send a note back to everyone."

"I guess," Rock muttered in response and looked to his Scion for his approval.

Dr. Light nodded in agreement and added, "Go ahead - we'll be fine here. He helped you all not too long ago - you had best return the favor."

When he put it like that, it made Rock feel obligated to do so. No one had been any more helpful than the rest in that quest to defeat Dr. Wily which seemed so long ago, but they certainly would not have been as successful, if at all, without Centaur's help as a capable fighter as well as a Healer.

It was decided then. After saying their farewells to the others, Rock and Forte headed back to Forte's cabin where the Beastmaster quickly packed some money and trail supplies while Rock wrote a short reply to send back to Khana with the hawk stating to Centaur that they were on their way. Since the morning was still young, they decided to hurry and make their way to Ivona which was nearly a day away on foot unless they encountered a farmer who did not mind giving them a wagon ride. From Ivona, they would have to turn North to make their way through Noth and finally to Khana, a journey which would take another three to four days minimum, six to seven if Isis decided to take out some frustration on them with bad weather.

Dr. Light had made a good point - Centaur helped them several months past in their endeavor against Dr. Wily. It was only natural that they should go return the favor when he requested help.

Such thoughts, however, were little comfort to the sense of dread building in Rock's stomach which he could not discern.

* * *

_"Und doch, der shadowed ein zurückzukehren, wer suchen nach dem Zwielicht-Albtraum..."_

_"My Queen, is something wrong?"_

_"...no. Leave me be."_

_"If you insist, my Queen...but please, do not hesitate to confide in me should the need arise."_ At his Queen's glare, he turned back to the charred forest remains to leave her as she requested.

She turned back to the darkening sky and snorted, smoke trailing in front of her vision as her tail lashed in annoyance.

_"Der shadowed ein nie zurückzukehren, wer suchen nach dem Zwielicht-Albtraum...you had best not disappoint me, young one. I am waiting..."_

* * *

"Someone must be talking about you," Rock remarked and merely grinned at Forte's admonishing glare as the younger recovered from sneezing.

"With a comment like that, you'd think the Fourth made you, not Dr. Light - whoever the Fourth is. That's an Eastern Islands superstition." Rock just shrugged and leaned back against a large pumpkin, gazing up at the sky for a few moments.

"Solstice is in a few months..."

"So?" came Forte's yawned response as he tried to nestle himself more comfortably in the straw surrounding the pumpkins he was tucked between. The ox pulling the wagon snorted every so often, but the ride was fairly quiet otherwise. Convincing the farmer from Ivona to allow them to ride in the wagon was easy since all three were headed to Khana, and it was faster and easier than walking the whole way. A four day journey would now be cut to three if the ox did not become lame during the trek through the forest surrounding Noth.

"What do you mean 'so'?!" Rock retorted, his tone making no attempt to hide the fact that he was greatly offended by Forte's response. "While we're in Khana, we should go ahead and buy presents for the others since the lab is probably going to take all the time they could have used to go shopping themselves, and they might not get anything this year otherwise. Or don't you care at all?"

Forte blinked slowly at his companion, rendered speechless by his outburst for a moment. Upon regaining his senses, the Beastmaster sat up and frowned at Rock. "What was that for?" he demanded, almost offended, himself.

Rock sighed and lowered his gaze to his hands resting in his lap. "I just...it's been so long since I could celebrate Solstice with anyone, and now that everyone's back..." He let the statement hang, his point made clear. He wanted to make the first Solstice back together with his family as great as he could to make up for all the years they were apart.

"Ah...well, I can't guarantee the others will get as worked up over it as you are," Forte cautioned him. "Solstice was barely acknowledged in the Fortress, if at all. We all just got used to forgetting about it."

"I know - that doesn't mean I can't try to make up for it though." Rock's tone made it clear he wanted to end the debate right there, and Forte obliged, leaning back into his nest of straw and pumpkins in an attempt to avoid the icy winter wind.

"Rock," he spoke once more after several long moments. At Rock's hum of acknowledgment, Forte asked, "Have you noticed it's getting cold earlier and staying cold longer in the last few years?"

"Yeah. I had to live out in it for three. It's also raining more."

"Have you noticed sometimes it rains when there aren't any clouds?"

"Really?" That made the elder of the two sit up once more, his attention captured. Forte nodded, still gazing skyward. "What would cause that?"

Forte shrugged. "No idea - I just know it happens. Last time I can think of is the last time I rebuilt my house - I was putting a shutter on one of the windows, and it suddenly started pouring. I looked up at the sky, and it was completely clear - not a cloud in sight."

Rock took his turn to gaze skyward, just trying to imagine such a phenomenon. It was a difficult thing to picture unless...

"Maybe there was a tear in the sky?" The question was out of his mouth before he could stop it, and he was immediately embarrassed. It was an observation he had only ever shared with Roll, and even now, it seemed a silly idea.

"A tear in the sky?" Forte questioned, dashing Rock's hopes that he had not been listening.

Rock leaned forward so he could look right at Forte from around the pumpkin separating them. "Promise you won't laugh at me?"

That made one lavender eyebrow raise. "Now you've really got me curious." Rock sighed and disappeared behind the pumpkin once more. "Aw, come on - okay, I promise I won't laugh at you."

Rock hesitated, trying to remember how he explained it to Roll so many years ago. "Close your eyes." Forte made a noise of confusion but did as he was told. "Have you ever looked at the sky? I mean _really_ looked at it? Especially at night."

"Mmhmm?"

"If you look at it on a night with no stars and no moon...have you ever noticed it looks almost like water? It shimmers and stirs in places like the surface of a pond or the ocean like it's just the edge of a big bubble, and you said you _wouldn't laugh_!"

"I'm not laughing at _you_!" Forte defended himself between breaths though Rock's horribly offended tone of voice did not help him to quit laughing. "That just reminded me of a conversation in the mess hall _years_ ago - like, my first year I was created."

"Yeah, sure," Rock sulked.

"No, seriously. It was really late one night, and I walked in on some of them talking. Actually, I'm pretty sure at least Bubble was drunk though I wouldn't be surprised if Plant and Stone were too. They were talking about the stars and guessing at exactly what they are. Stone said they were pixies that got stuck, and the sky is actually this giant piece of wax paper that attracts them, and the stars only shine at night because pixies are nocturnal, and...um..." Forte cast a hesitant glance at the pumpkin separating them. "I guess you had to be there."

"Have you ever wondered what's beyond it?" Rock asked abruptly, catching Forte off guard.

"Beyond what?"

"You know - beyond the sky. I mean besides the stars and the moon. Have you ever wondered if there's anything past them?"

Forte hesitated, thinking about that. "I figured it just stopped at the stars. I don't know - maybe it's like Plant thought. He said his theory was that the stars might all be worlds like ours, just far, far away. And someone else said they might be the souls of people who died, suspended in the sky to watch over those who came after them."

"Mm..." Rock was silent for several long moments, deep in thought, before he muttered in response.

"I like Stone's theory more."

* * *

"Why is Khana already putting up Solstice decorations? There's still three moons left!"

"You've really been out of touch, haven't you?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Rock demanded, offended. "Noth and Ivona didn't have their decorations up already."

Forte shrugged. "Khana's at least three times bigger than them though closer to ten is more likely. Besides, they've been putting up their decorations earlier and earlier every year - once before the weather had even begun getting cold. I wouldn't be surprised if they tried to keep them up all year before much longer."

"Mm...well, I guess that means I can get started shopping at least."

"If you want to, but keep in mind we don't know how long Centaur's going to need us to stay here, and we still have to make the trip back home."

Rock frowned, having forgotten about that detail. He snapped his fingers a brief moment later though and smiled as he responded, "I can go ahead and get everything wrapped up and have it sent to the lab. It'll cost extra, and it might take a little over a moon to get there on wagons, but it'll be better than lugging everything back ourselves."

"That's up to you," Forte answered. "If you want to go ahead while there's still plenty of daylight left, be my guest - I'm going to go on to Centaur's house and tell him we're here."

Rock nodded. "I'll be there by sundown at the latest. I remember where it is." With that, Forte turned to leave for the residential area near the pier while Rock made his way further into the bustling city's marketplace.

Khana was the largest city on the continent though even that was not saying much once compared to cities Rock had heard of in stories of the other continents. One city across the sea was rumored to house nearly a million people, nearly ten times the number residing in Khana. Just trying to imagine so many people in one city was staggering. Even Khana with its possible maximum of maybe sixty thousand inhabitants was too much for Rock at times; however, he now braved the crowd in the marketplace.

The biggest struggle was to find his way past the wall of humans in the food market picking vegetables and fruit to take home for the evening meal, but once he succeeded, Rock was much more comfortable and was able to leisurely browse almost every stall at enough of a distance so as to avoid having to dodge around desperate vendors trying to coax him out of the little money he had to spare.

The first few moments spent eyeing the humans' wares stabbed Rock with a pang of regret upon realizing an inconvenient truth: ten years of separation from hsi siblings had rendered him utterly clueless as to what their interests and preferences were. He could make guesses - he was quite certain Guts would not find much satisfaction in a scarf - but it was very discouraging nonetheless. Even Blues' interests were a mystery to him despite their being separated only three years rather than ten.

Rock sighed and shook his head, trying not to dampen his own spirits. Though he was sure they would all like anything he gave them, he wanted to at least try to get something they liked, and it was not imperitive he buy something for everyone today - he could always ask Forte later if he remembered anything about any of them as far as their interests and preferences were concerned, especially Metal since he definitely deserved something for all his help.

Determined, Rock straightened up and made his way to the first stall.

* * *

The sun had nearly completely set by the time Rock's memory decided not to fail him, and he found Centaur's house. It was nearer to the piers than he remembered it, but he was quite sure Centaur had not moved since he recognized the outside. Forte opened the door for him when he knocked, and Rock quickly ducked indoors out of the cooling wind, rubbing his arms to warm himself back up.

"Any luck?" Forte inquired as he closed the door behind Rock.

"Sort of," Rock grumbled. "I only managed to get something for Ice, Cut, and Dr. Light. I need to talk to you later about that. It's been so long, I-" Rock's mouth clamped shut audibly when he entered the seating room of Centaur's house, first caught by surprise at a flash of very light red hair - almost carnation pink - pulled back into a ponytail with long bangs framing a pale face. Rock was then rendered chilled and speechless when he recognized the icy violet eyes which turned to gaze back at him, eyes half-lidded and a small, almost dreamy smile decorating the white countenance.

Rock could not help but take a nervous step back, away from Plant, the Healer of the sixth army. He thought surely no one else could have survived the destruction of the Fortress, or if anyone had, he and the others would have found him. Obviously, he was greatly mistaken, and the thought that Plant might not be the only survivor made Rock's stomach churn; he knew many were very loyal to Dr. Wily and might continue his war even after his death.

"I don't bite unless you want me to," Plant spoke, making Rock jump. That was another thing which made the eldest in the room wary to get closer to the Healer - of every memory Rock had of Plant, both in and out of battle, he could not recall a single moment when Plant's dreamy smile had broken or even faded. It was very unnerving.

"Oh, come on," Forte chided him and placed his hand square in the middle of Rock's back to push him further into the room in spite of Rock's heels digging into the floor. "Of all the guys who could have survived, he's the one you should worry about the least."

"I'm used to it," Plant responded, still smiling. "I give everyone the creeps." Rock felt his face flush, and he meekly apologized though he made certain to avoid Plant's icy gaze.

"Um...why are you here?" Rock finally dredged the courage to ask, still avoiding Plant's gaze; looking at him meant he had to see that unnerving smile that never went away.

Either unpreturbed or oblivious, Plant answered calmly, "Centaur contacted me to look after his house while he's off."

Forte frowned, reminded of why he and Rock were in Khana. "What does he need?" the youngest in the room asked. "His note was really vague."

Plant just shrugged. "I don't know - I just know he's going away from Khana for an undetermined amount of time, and he wants you two to go with him. He didn't mention why." Rock just glanced back and forth between them as they talked, ashamed for feeling more comfortable with Plant's attention off of him. He took advantage of it though, and started backing away to try to find Centaur if he was home.

"I wonder why he's asking you to stay here though," Forte muttered.

Plant quickly retorted, "Because I refuse to go anywhere with you. Whenever I get involved in anything with you, I get hurt - last time I got an arrow in my ass."

Rock blinked slowly and glanced over his shoulder, his attention grabbed by that statement even as Forte responded, "What are you talking about?"

"Remember that night job in Turiene?" Plant clarified.

"Night job?" Rock inquired, glancing at Forte who was beginning to turn a funny color.

"It's not how it sounds," Forte quickly retorted.

"Oh, it's _exactly_ how it sounds," the smiling Healer countered. "I was hiding out on the roof of one of the houses - Stripes here waves me down, so I jump down to see what he wants, and next thing I know, I get shot! I'm standing there, trying to Heal my own ass, and he comes waltzing up with some bellydancer girl."

"Bellydancer girl?" Rock cast a glance at the youngest of the three. "Plant, I think you and I should talk."

"Later," came a new, familiar voice from an alcove at the back of the room, drawing attention away from a very thankful Forte. Centaur looked just the same as when Rock saw him last though he was not quite sure why he thought the Healer would look any different - robots did not age. However, there was one obvious difference - Centaur clearly had not been getting much sleep if his one visible, bloodshot and darkened eye was any indication.

"Are you okay?" Rock asked, surprised at how unhealthy Centaur seemed, especially since he was a Healer. Centaur just nodded and spoke up before Rock and Forte could ask anything further.

"Everyone should get a good night's rest before I explain anything," Centaur said. "I know you two have been on the road for the last three or four days, and Plant has too. There's just one thing I want to ask you two before you go to sleep." He turned to Rock and Forte who watched him anxiously, confused and curious. "What do you know of the Forbidden Island?"

Rock blinked a few times, not sure he heard right. It was a very random question - why would Centaur ask about such a thing? "Not much," he finally admitted. "I saw it once a long time ago when I first fought Bubble, but I don't know anything beyond what it looks like. It's...creepy."

"He knows more than I do," Forte stated. "I just know it exists. Why?"

"That's about what I thought," Centaur muttered and turned to go back to the basement. "All of my spare rooms are clean and ready, and there are two wash basins if you need to use them. Rest up, and I'll explain everything in the morning." He was out of sight before any of the three could stop him, and they were left to stare at the entrance to the basement in confusion.

"This is too strange," Rock muttered. It was not at all like how he remembered Centaur behaving.

Plant just kept smiling.


	22. Die Verbotene Insel: 03 Schwarze Meere

_0.3 Schwarze Meere_

Not many boats left the safety of Khana's harbors once the weather cooled, so the piers were quiet save for the calls of hungry seagulls. The few boats which were prepared to harvest winter squid and shrimp had already departed the city's harbor, their crews and the consumers awaiting their return anticipating a bountiful season. The winter fishing season, however, was the most dangerous, as if Sekhmet herself disallowed the plunder of the sea. Storms raged constantly on the horizon, stronger and stronger the further in the Inner Sea boats chanced to travel. The weather was only one peril - seahorses hunted in packs like big, bloodthirsty, fearless sharks and used the storm surge to launch themselves onto the decks of ships. They could breathe both in and out of the water, so once aboard, they could take their time to combat the crews and eat their fill of flesh, their sucker-like mouths able to drain every drop of blood once latched on to flesh and the spines of their fins sharp enough to tear open torsos so the organs could be sucked up as well. Fishermen who did not die by the sea usually died by seahorse packs. No one envied the fishermen their job despite anticipating their return.

The seagulls were especially anticipating the return of the fishermen and voiced their eagerness loudly, their calls echoing between every house in Khana and even drowning out the crashing waves of the Inner Sea. Having endured the noise for nearly an hour and deciding his pillow was doing an extremely poor job of muffling it, Rock let out a thin whine and begrudgingly sat up to glare at the opposite wall.

"If I have to wake up, so do you," he grumbled and flailed his right arm to the side to slap his companion awake, but the movement nearly made him fall over when his hand fell upon not an arm but empty space. He blinked a few times at the empty space on the bed next to him, nearly stupified. Forte awake first? That _never_ happened. The thought was mind blowing despite the proof literally next to him.

Now fully awake, Rock untangled himself from the blankets supplied to them by Centaur and stumbled out of the room, nearly tripping over one of Centaur's cats on his way to the kitchen. He yawned and waved to Plant who was standing at the wood stove, an iron frying pan warming on it. "Mornin'," Rock yawned again as Plant's smiling face turned to him, light pink hair not yet tied back and instead spilling down his back and over his shoulders. "Have you seen-" He was cut off with a sharp yelp when a hand grasped his left wrist and unceremoniously jerked him from the room.

"You don't want to talk to him yet," Forte muttered where Plant could not overhear as he tugged Rock away from the kitchen. "He's, uh...he's grouchy."

Rock gave him an absolutely stupified look before glancing over his shoulder at the kitchen and demanding as he sat down on one of the larger seating cots in the den, "How can you _tell_?"

"Just trust me," Forte emphasized. "I'll bring you some breakfast - I can take whatever he throws at me." He hesitated at that statement, glancing back to the kitchen warily. "Except maybe that frying pan if he gets it heated up any more."

Rock still just stared at him as if Forte was talking about someone completely different - how could that same smile which had never left Plant's face since the night before denote such hostility? "If he's that crabby, why is he smiling?" Rock had to know. "And for that matter, why doesn't he ever _stop_ smiling? It's really creepy."

Forte sighed, "He doesn't know any other expressions, Rock. He can't frown, he can't cry, he can't do anything but smile no matter how he really feels, and that makes him cranky. I don't know the details - it's something Wily did to him before he made me." Rock blinked slowly a few times, letting Forte take his leave back to the kitchen as the elder let that information sink in. He could not imagine not knowing but one expression and really could not imagine what Dr. Wily could have done to the Healer to render him as such.

"Wily didn't want two Healers in the same army," came a voice from behind him, turning Rock's attention to Centaur who had just entered the den. He still looked exhausted though not quite as much as the night before, completely dressed already while Rock, Forte, and Plant were still in their sleeping tunics and slacks. "I'm stronger than Plant, so Wily tried to force him to become another Class."

"But...that's impossible for us," Rock stammered in response as Centaur sat across from him. "Humans can apprentice to different classes, but we're stuck with what we get when our souls are created."

Centaur nodded and continued, "We all know that - even Wily knew it. Still, he wanted to try because he felt having two Healers in the same army would be a waste, but he wasn't willing to expend the energy required to destroy Plant's soul and make a new one to try for a different outcome. Plant eventually started blatantly disobeying and resisting him, and it eventually changed from trying to change his Class to reminding him who was in authority. Only Plant knows exactly what Wily did to him, but the end result is the same - he's never done anything but smile since."

Rock started to comment but stopped himself. Anyone who knew anything about the Scions and their creations knew Plant could not help what gift Isis granted him. As far as Rock was concerned, there were not enough Healers in the world, but he knew Dr. Wily only wanted fighters when he was alive. It was a shame Plant had to suffer for something he had no control over.

Rock shook his head and frowned, changing the subject. "Centaur...why did you ask us to come?" he asked. "And why did you ask about the Island?"

"I need to go there, Rock," the Healer answered. "I can't explain why until I get there, but I can't do it alone." Centaur shook his head and leaned back a little. "If you don't want to come, I certainly understand."

"But why do you need to go there? You can't get beyond the cliffs anyway." Rock frowned again; he could not fathom Centaur's reasoning. Rock had never seen the Island himself, but he knew from stories that no one could venture more than one or two paces onto the flat surface beyond the cliffs despite how much space there was. Those who tried were stopped by an invisible wall, a barrier which, as far as he knew, seemed to serve no purpose but which could neither be scaled nor dug underneath.

"I told you," Centuar sighed, seeming exhausted, "I can't say yet. It's...personal." He stood before Rock could say anything else. "Please talk it over with Forte. It will take about three days to get there by boat, give or take considering the season. Once we get there though...it could take anywhere from a week to three weeks to do what I need to do. If you don't want to or don't want to be away from the reconstruction of the lab for that long, just tell me - I won't hold it against you." Without waiting for Rock to respond or ask any other questions, Centaur vanished to the cellar once more, leaving Rock to stare stupified after him for several long moments until he was jolted back into awareness by the scent of freshly cooked bacon being waved under his nose.

"Waaake up," Forte chided him as he set a clay plate on Rock's lap, the plate filled to overflowing with bacon, ham, and eggs. "What were you two talking about?" Forte asked, sitting beside his companion.

"He wants us to go to the Forbidden Island with him, but he won't say why," Rock muttered between shoveling eggs into his awaiting mouth. "Says he can't say until we get there other than the fact that it's 'personal'. I can't imagine what there is to do there - isn't it just empty fields that you can't even get to?"

"As far as I know, yeah," Forte answered after swallowing a bite of ham. "Only the flying Robot Masters really ever got a good look at it, and they only said there wasn't much to see." He shrugged and half-heartedly chewed on a slice of bacon. "It can't hurt to humor him. Now that the roof's almost completely finished, everyone else can handle the reconstruction."

Rock nodded and turned back to his food, letting the subject drop. A few more minutes passed in silence before he spoke again, "This is really good."

"Yeah," Forte agreed. "Plant may be cranky in the mornings, but he can cook a mean breakfast."

"How many more do you think survived? Do you think he was the only one?"

"Probably not." The Beastmaster shook his head. "I wouldn't be surprised if over a dozen survived - they're a tough lot to kill, some of them more than others."

Rock chewed his lip in thought. "Do you think any of them would try to...well...cause any trouble?"

Forte frowned. "It really depends on which ones survived, but really, I doubt it. The worst would probably just be some roadside robbing like human bandits. Magnet and Pharaoh I know are dead, and they were arguably the most bloodthirsty. If you mean cause trouble at the lab while you're gone, I seriously doubt it - there's nothing to gain now." Rock seemed to relax at that and focused on his food again as Forte stared at him for a brief moment. "And Rock..."

"Mm?"

The younger watched Rock as he used a slice of bacon as an edible spoon to scoop up a large part of the mound of eggs. "You have the most _bizarre_ way of eating eggs."

"Shut up."

* * *

Centaur was no more forthcoming with information later in the day than he was that morning, and Rock finally admitted defeat and ceased asking. Centaur seemed to relax ever so slightly when told Rock and Forte were agreeing to help him, but he was still tense, and Rock finally assumed it was anxiety from knowing the seas were only going to grow rougher the longer they waited to depart, so he did everything he could to help Centaur prepare to disembark. 

Because he could read Plant's moods better than anyone else present, Forte was dispatched with the smiling Healer to buy supplies. Centaur was sure the ship he had scheduled to rent would have enough food to last the three day voyage, but he knew it would be better to be safe than sorry, and what they did not use would keep until the end of his task for Rock and Forte to use for the journey back to the laboratory. Blankets, bandages, and other first aid supplies were also listed to buy, and Centaur had to find two spare packs in the depths of his basement in order to find a way to carry it all. The sheer amount of first aid supplies they were sent out to buy was unnerving even to Plant though he had no qualms about making it abundantly clear he was thankful he was not going. One whole pack was dedicated to carrying nothing but bandages, salves, emergency stitchings, and other first aid, and when questioned, Centaur merely explained it with the remark, "In case I get drained." The Healer also made a point to split a large amount of money between Rock and Forte which he insisted they not even think of repaying.

The more preparations that were made only succeeded in unnerving the two further, and Forte finally asked as he helped Centaur with yet a fourth pack, stuffing spare clothes inside, "Um...are we going into battle somewhere? I didn't think the Sea was /this/ dangerous this early in the winter..."

"There's something out there," Centaur answered. "It's not just seahorses you need to worry about - it's the Island. Once we get there, I cease knowing what exactly to expect." It was the most he had spoken of the issue in the past two days of preparation, but he declined to continue when pressed, once again leaving Forte bewildered.

Finally, after four days of preparation, Plant watched from a window as the three started toward the docks early in the morning before the sun had a chance to rise though even if it had, it could not be seen through the thick, grey clouds threatening to open and plague the city with the season's first snow.

The air was exceptionally cold, especially coming from the Sea, and Rock hoped it would not snow on their voyage. The sails were conditioned to resist icing over, but nothing was completely safe from winter's wrath, and Rock feared it was the cracking of ice he heard as he looked up on the towering masts of the ship Centaur chartered.

Forte tried to help the crew with the rigging or the cabin boys with running supplies, but after a few moments, he gave up and retreated to his and Rock's cabin to just stay out of the way, conceding defeat to the fact that he knew nothing of sea travel. Thankfully though, it did not take long for the ship to depart, the ship having only needed a few more finishing touches to the rigging. The wind was in their favor, and Khana was out of sight by the time the first snow began to fall, adding an extra chill to the already frigid sea air.

The first two days' sailing were uneventful and boring thanks to a merciful gap in the winter storms. Snow quietly drifted down all around the ship ever since they departed, melting as soon as it met the warmer salt water and hot ship's deck. The deck was very warm due to the galley emitting enough heat from its evening meal preparations to make it more comfortable to stand outside in the wind and snow than in the cabins.

"Your tongue's going to freeze off if you keep that up," Forte chided teasingly as he leaned against the rail overlooking the dark water of the Inner Sea.

"As hot as they've got it?" Rock responded. "Shut up." Forte shook his head with a grin and glanced back out at the Sea while Rock stuck his tongue out again to attempt to catch the falling snowflakes.

"Rock."

"Beeeh?"

"You can almost see it from here." Rock's tongue snapped back into his mouth, and he stepped over to Forte to follow his gaze ahead of the ship. It was hard to tell against the dark and cloudy night sky, but after some searching, Rock found the sliver of land against the horizon. It was almost freakishly flat like no island should be, and snow eerily fell around it but never on it.

"It's creepy," Rock stated needlessly. "I've never seen it before."

"I only know what I was told by the Robot Masters who flew by it," Forte muttered in response. "Gyro said it's completely flat save for about ten feet of rocky wall on the outside rim around the entire island, like a crater but too...perfect. Shade said you can't land on it."

"You can't?"

Forte shook his head. "He tried countless times as did Tengu. They said it's like they hit a wall just past the rocky rim. Tengu tried flying over it, but it surrounds the entire island like a glass dome. He was actually able to land on the top of the dome, but it's not like it did any good - he just stood on top of it looking down at the ground hundreds of miles beneath his own feet."

"What does it look like?" Rock asked, his curiosity intense now. "I've always heard it's nothing but green fields."

"That's another odd thing," his companion answered with a frown. "Four of the others saw it, and they all had different descriptions. Gyro saw nothing but flawless, green grass in the middle of winter, Shade saw a huge dome of white clouds held back by that invisible wall, Tengu saw snow inside in the middle of the summer, and Magnet, when he was shifted, saw clouds too, but they were storm clouds, and while the clouds were pressed up against the wall, the lightning was free to come out. He said it was like it aimed for him because it only came past the clouds where he was flying."

Rock suppressed a shudder and looked away from the sliver of visible island. "Creepy," he grumbled. "Why in the world does Centaur want to go there?"

Forte shrugged. "No idea - Shade and Tengu tried from the ground too - went all the way around the island and covered every inch they could - and they never found a way in, so I don't know what Centaur expects to accomplish by-"

Rock hushed him with a gesture, staring intently at the water on the larboard side. Forte gave him a quizzical glance but did not say anything in case Rock was concentrating. Instead, Rock asked, pointing, "What is that?"

Forte followed Rock's gesture and gaze to the water in the distance and froze in alarm at the sight of disturbed water darting toward the ship in a straight line, the wake forming a V as it passed over the fin borne omen of death.

Rock howled as Forte grabbed him by his collar and jerked him away from the side just as the lookout in the crow's nest also called the alarm, a warning bell chiming and calling the crew to arms. "Incoming!" the lookout screamed from his position in the sky, "Pferde des Meeres! Incoming seahorses!"

No sooner had he clarified the danger did the water on the larboard side erupt with movement, and the entire ship rocked with the force of its attackers landing upon the deck. The defense crew barely had time to react before three long, pink vines shot out from the still falling seaspray, a bony, barbed point on the tip of each tearing through flesh and bone and dragging their victims closer. Once pierced, the sailors were jerked off their feet to the awaiting, tube-like mouths of the attacking seahorses. There were only three, but three was enough to cut down the numbers of the panicking crew disturbingly fast. Two fed, sucking blood, tissue, and organs through the holes made by their tongues, while the third held back the retaliating sailors, swinging its large head armored with bone to deflect rapiers and daggers. Its scarred head indicated it had attacked ships and guarded its pack members many times before.

The seahorses' rotund bodies were extremely awkward on the deck of the ship, rocking back and forth precariously on their round bellies with the sway of the ocean, but they did not need agility to be deadly and could easily whittle down the crew's numbers even further from where they had landed on the deck. One of the feeding seahorses was particularly rotund, its belly thick and full of life. That and the way the other two guarded it especially signified it was the male, attacking to feed both himself and his brood. Once he drained his victim of all his blood and organs, the male shot its tongue out for a second meal and let out a horrific screech when it was cut by Forte who had ignited Solandri to aid in the defense of the ship, what remained of the beast's tongue smoking from being cauterized by Solandri's mystic green fire.

The lead seahorse screeched in anger at Forte but thought twice about lashing her own tongue against him lest she share the same fate as her pack member. Instead, she unleashed her anger on the crew member furthest from Forte only to snap her tongue back and roll backwards slightly with a howl of anger when Centaur placed himself between her and the surviving sailors, armed with the rapier of one of the fallen crew members.

The lead seahorse was furious, its cheeks puffed out in anger as its wedge-shaped eyes surveyed the situation, looking for weaknesses in the defense. Behind her, the male continued to keen in pain from the damage to its tongue, the beast now doomed to either death or a remaining lifetime of being fed by his other pack members, the latter more likely since he was the carrier of life - if he had been female, death would be his fate to spare the other seahorses' energy.

It did not take the beast long to arrive to the best conclusion, and much as she desperately wanted to exact revenge for her pack member, retreat was the only option. She let out a trumpeting bellow and allowed her comrades to escape to the sea before following as well, rolling back on her belly to fall overboard into the surf.

Centaur did not wait to ensure the seahorses were truly gone before quickly tending to those wounded by glancing blows from the beasts' tongues, and once the crew had shaken off the remnants of shock, they were quick to mend the cracks in the deck made from the heavy beasts' bodies crashing down upon it. Rock and Forte were quick to help, Rock aiding with the repairs as Forte helped to wrap up the discarded bodies for disposal. The various tasks were performed in grim silence, most of the crew still in shock from so sudden an attack even though most were seasoned enough to have expected it. Seahorses were especially voracious in the winter, and warm-blooded humans were far more nutritious than fish, and most had plenty of fat to sustain the seahorses' own fat reserves for the season.

"Is that going to happen much more?" Rock finally whispered, too shaken to fully break the silence but desperately wanting conversation to distract him from the grim tasks at hand.

Forte shook his head to reassure him as he answered, his voice kept low as well, "Doubtful after this went so badly for them."

The elder of the two stared at the younger. "Badly?" he repeated, abashed. "There are five dead, another five wounded - that's 'badly'?"

Forte nodded. "Trust me, you don't want to know what a _good_ attack is for seahorses. The crew would have had to hide in the galley or cargo and hope the horses weren't hungry enough to roll after them. A group even that small could wipe out a ship this size." He sighed as he pushed the last body overboard. "Even with one injured, they could have easily thought up a way around our defense. They're smart."

"Then why didn't they?" Rock asked after Forte paused for a moment, prying though he was not sure he wanted to know the reason.

Forte looked to the black, starless sky, his expression blank. "They had another reason...we've been under watch by something since the attack. I can hear its wings on the wind - probably a pegasus though why and why it hasn't attacked, I don't know. Pegasii don't associate with seahorses, so it wouldn't be on their side. More likely they ran away from it." Forte added quickly when he noticed Rock casting a fearful gaze to the sky, tearing the other's attention back to him. "If it hasn't attacked by now, it's not going to - the whole ship was well open to an attack this last hour. It's just watching us."

"That doesn't make me feel much better," Rock admitted, trying desperately to hear what Forte heard on the wind, but all he could hear was the flapping of the sails and the cracking of ice on the canvas. "Why did Sekhmet make such evil things as horses?"

"Sekhmet didn't," Forte corrected him. "Anubis did." He shrugged at Rock's shocked stare. "I know - he's the god of technology, not of life, but he created the horses, starting with the unicorns. No one knows why."

"Why hadn't I ever heard of that before?"

"Only Beastmasters know that part. We know a lot about horses most other people would never know or would die trying to learn. It's like Anubis doesn't want it to be common knowledge that they're his and not Sekhmet's." Forte shrugged. "Can't say I blame him though after the world pretty much blacklisted him thanks to Wily."

Rock hesitated with a moment of fidgetting with the tail of his tunic, a nervous habit of his when he was trying to decide if what he was about to ask or say was really a good idea. Forte arched an eyebrow since he had learned to recognize the behavior, making Rock blush as he was still trying to figure out the correct wording.

"Yes?" Forte finally pried.

"Could...you tell me about horses? I don't know anything more than they're evil and dangerous," Rock finally stammered out, nearly regretting it the second it was out of his mouth. Surely if only Beastmasters knew, then Anubis had a reason, right?

Forte contradicted him by shrugging. "If you want, but in our cabin. It's getting colder, and we need to get some sleep." Rock nodded and let the younger usher him into their cabin and out of the cold, trusting that they could no longer help the crew in any way.

* * *

"What do you want to know?" Forte asked once he was settled under the blankets with Rock curled up next to him. 

"Whatever you can tell me," was the eager answer. Curiosity was one of Rock's both frustrating and endearing qualities - his curiosity knew no bounds. He liked to learn as much as he possibly could about anything new.

"Well, that's quite a bit," Forte grumbled with a roll of his eyes. "What do you want me to _start_ with? Unicorns, seahorses, pegasii, regular horses..."

"Unicorns were first, right? So start with them." Rock nodded, accentuating his decision, then curled up a little tighter to use Forte's own heat to keep away the cold.

"Mm..." Forte drawled as he thought for a moment. "I have to admit I don't know as much about unicorns as I do regular and seahorses...I just know they were the first, and they hunt in packs a lot like seahorses do. But they stay in one, enormous pack lead by one unicorn. No one's ever seen it, so no one knows what it looks like. It's probably male, and most stories say unicorns are white." He shrugged. "Don't know if any of that's true, but it at least gives a picture to imagine. But unicorns are the worst of all of them - a very, very skilled Beastmaster might be able to negotiate with a horse, but a unicorn would kill and eat him before he got a word in edgewise."

Rock shuddered though it was not from the cold. "Are they as bad as deer?" he asked, knowing a little more about deer than he did horses.

"Worse. Unicorns are, at least. Pegasii can be as bad as deer, and regular and seahorses aren't quite as bad. They're more like smart wild animals. Unicorns are calculating though - if they were more widespread than they are...they're not just smart, they think things through. They could plan out a war."

"And pe...pega..."

"Pegasii - winged horses. Let me think of a different way to put this...think of the head unicorn as the king of a country, and the other unicorns and pegasii are his kingdom's army. The unicorns are the infantry, and the pegasii are the cavalry. Regular horses and seahorses don't really come into play. Seahorses are seabound, and unicorns look down on regular horses as being weaker and won't hesitate to hunt them too."

"But...why? I just don't get that...what reason could he have had to create them?"

"Can't answer that." Forte shook his head. "It's not that I can't - I don't know. No one does except maybe the unicorns themselves."

"If the winged ones are that important to the unicorns though, what does that say about the one you heard?" Rock was very worried about that now that he had learned more about the species. The ship's crew was already shaken enough with the loss of their crew members to the seahorses.

Forte shook his head again. "Like I said, it if hasn't done anything by now, it won't. It might just be making sure we're not headed to unicorn territory in this ship." That seemed to relax his companion a little, so the younger took the opportunity to snake an arm around Rock's waist to pull him as close as he could. "We should be there tomorrow, so get some sleep."

"I don't think I'll be able to after all this, but I'll try," Rock admitted before closing his eyes and drifting into a restless sleep filled with shrieking sea beasts and arrow-like tongues.

* * *

_"My Queen, they have reached the Island,"_ came a voice to her left, and she nodded in acknowledgment, her gaze never leaving the horizon. 

_"Thank you, Laetificat,"_ she responded, exhaling forcefully in anticipation. _"It will not be long now...I have waited far too long for this."_

_"Shall I begin gathering everyone, my Queen?"_

She shook out her mane and snorted before answering, _"Nein. No sense if he really is not up to the challenge...which I doubt he is."_

* * *

The rocks covering the Island's uneven walls were like razors, and Rock was quick to realize just why Centaur had insisted upon bringing heavy working gloves for all three of them when they were shopping in Khana. Without the gloves, his hands would have been sliced to bloody ribbons during their trek up the sloped cliffs, and even with the gloves, his hands were very sore only halfway up as the sharp, glass-like edges threatened to cut through the thick leather. The soles of his boots were suffering already, deep cuts in the material getting stuck on some sharp edges. 

The ship was already retreating in the distance, a dinghy left behind in the shade of some of the sharp rocks so it would not bake dry in the sun. It was outfitted with a small sail of its own and could be used as a somewhat reliable means for the trio to return to Khana when their task was finished, but it was only to be used as a last resort. The ship's crew had been paid by Centaur to come back to check for them once a moon. Since they would have to come nearly this far anyway to fish all year round, it was easy enough to persuade them to return to the Island itself, and with fishing rods in the dinghy as well as whatever supplies they would likely have remaining, the trio would easily be able to sustain themselves a month to await the ship's return.

_If we survive the climb up_, Rock grumbled inwardly as he continued climbing after Centaur and Forte. The fact that the cliffs were not steep was a small blessing. They were forced to walk slanted rather than truly climb, but it was still exhausting as well as stressful. Twice already, Rock had slipped and cut his arms on the glass-like rocks, and the only reason he continued to bleed over them was the fact that he did not want to be responsible for slowing them down by Centaur Healing him, so he ignored the pain and said nothing of being injured.

It took the better part of the afternoon to finish scaling the cliffs, and the sun was beginning to set when they finally reached the jagged tops which were nothing but knife-like, sharp points, slanting immediately back downward on the other side. The other side was freakishly smooth, like the inside of a bowl, and Rock yelped in surprise when he went sliding down it, bowling into Forte who fell on top of him.

"The gods really must want people to stay out of here..." Rock mused aloud as he crawled out from under his dazed companion to look back at the smooth side of the rocks. It was not much taller than he, and he could easily grip the sharp edge and pull himself back up to gaze out at the sea, but doing so threatened to slice open his gloves like butter, so he immediately dropped back down.

Turning to face the interior of the island confirmed what he had always heard of it - there was nothing to see but a brilliant green meadow filled with no flowers nor trees - just knee-high grass as far as he could see. Centaur was a few paces away, and Rock at first thought he was just running his hand throught he air, but he then remembered the other thing he had always heard, and he stepped forward only to stumble back again upon hitting what felt a lot like a solid wall. He held his hand up to feel it just as Centaur was, gingerly at first before growing bolder and banging his fist upon it like one would a closed door.

"This place gives me the creeps," Rock murmured with a faint shudder before jumping slightly at a green flash to his right as Centaur called forth his armor, the foremost spike on his helmet scratching against the invisible wall before him.

"It's supposed to," Centaur said in response. "Don't let your guard down." He planted his hand firmly against the invisible wall, pushing against it. "Both of you come on either side of me and put your hands on top of mine." Confused though they were, Forte and Rock obeyed, Forte resting his hand atop Centaur's and Rock's atop his. "And don't pull away no matter what happens."

"Centaur...you said you'd tell us what's going on when we got here," Rock insisted, growing more nervous by the minute. Centaur's stress-filled concentration and darkened eyes did nothing to ease his fear.

"This is a weak spot in the barrier," Centaur said, half-avoiding the plea for information. His intense gaze never left their hands against the barrier even as he spoke and ferretted their questions. "Anubis never fully mended it. Once we're through, we need to head to the center of the Island - find the Fourth Scion."

That startled even Forte into speaking. "The Fourth Scion is _here_?" he sputtered, staring at the Healer. "How do you know?"

"And how do you know this is a weak spot?" Rock demanded. He started to ask something else when he jumped in surprise when he noticed Centaur's armor was beginning to change colors, and it was all he could do to obey and not pull away as the green of the Healer's armor bled to dull black, the luster of the metal gone. The gold and white highlights seemed to shudder before fading to the color of blood, and his majestic helmet spikes dulled as well, the tips turning red. The color change spread over his armor not unlike rapid rusting, as if he was corroding before their eyes, and his skin grew paler, his eyes turning from their former brilliant blue to the same red as his armor's highlights. A dark scar marred his whole throat, nearly grey with age.

"I know," Centaur answered slowly, his breathing deep and slow, and Rock had to suppress a shudder as the Healer's voice cracked as he spoke, becoming a scratchy, twisted mockery of what it should have been, "because I escaped through this very spot myself."

A rush of pain stole Rock's voice even if he wanted to say anything else. Pure agony rushed up his arm from where it was pressed against Forte's and Centaur's, and it quickly overtook his body, making him weak in the knees, but he could not budge from where he stood even to fall to the ground. He felt as if his skin was being shredded one piece at a time from his fingers to his feet then up his back to his head and face. A blurred glance to his right told him that Forte was in the same amount of pain, gold eyes wide as he gasped to remember to breathe but unable to bring himself to scream. Centaur was in pain as well, but he concentrated on his hand, pushing against the barrier.

It only took a few seconds of the agony for Rock to be unable to focus on anything else, and he finally was able to find his voice to let out a long shriek, no longer caring what Centaur was doing. He vaguely recalled hearing Forte's voice join his own before the world went white and Rock knew nothing more.


End file.
